# Why are many fitness clubs cagey about their rates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852 "2012-08-27T20:13:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/21 "2012-08-29T14:48:38Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’ve never understood gym memberships. It seems like, for the price of a year long contract, I could buy a good weight bench and a decent treadmill on craigslist and then I don’t have to commute to my workout. > > And you could always do pushups, situps and run for free. You could do that for a long time before it “just wasn’t enough” and you require a mechanically assisted workout. But nobody seems to exhaust those options before waddling in for their annual January guilt trip. > > Combine that with the skeezy nature of the sales process and I just don’t understand why people flock to gyms. > > It’s understandable if you’re going to make good use of the Olympic sized pool or the rock climbing walls. But most people just seem to lift weights and run on treadmills. Why do they pay so much for that? For one thing, their equipment is better. The treadmill that I would have to buy for home is about 6 years worth of membership costs to have all the features that I want and use. And I can use the elliptical if I feel like it. They also have the luxury of enough space for me to do my weight training. My gym also has a personal trainer assigned to the weights area at all times to ask questions of or to point out when your form is not quite right. And they have group fitness classes included with their memberships. (I hear this is a big thing for most women. I prefer to work out alone.) The biggest reason I joined a gym is my family. There is no way that I could possibly work out at home without constant interruption. (Mom, do you know where my lunch bag is? Can I go to Julie’s house? Honey, have you seen my keys, etc.) When I am at the gym, I am in my zone focussing on my body and there is no one around to interrupt. ETA: plus what is ‘so much?’ I pay 25 bucks a month. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/22 "2012-08-29T14:58:21Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’ve never understood gym memberships. It seems like, for the price of a year long contract, I could buy a good weight bench and a decent treadmill on craigslist and then I don’t have to commute to my workout. > > And you could always do pushups, situps and run for free. You could do that for a long time before it “just wasn’t enough” and you require a mechanically assisted workout. But nobody seems to exhaust those options before waddling in for their annual January guilt trip. > > Combine that with the skeezy nature of the sales process and I just don’t understand why people flock to gyms. > > It’s understandable if you’re going to make good use of the Olympic sized pool or the rock climbing walls. But most people just seem to lift weights and run on treadmills. Why do they pay so much for that? This might work for people with really basic weightlifting goals, like simply staying healthy. But if you have more ambitious goals - actually building muscle or improving strength - you can’t meet with just a cheap weights bench and press-ups. You need a range of large and expensive items for an effective workout program: squat rack, heavy bench rack, Olympic bar and a range of dumbbells, at a minimum, as well as a lot of weight plates. That would probably run you a couple thousand dollars. You’ll also need a room that can fit all those items, which a lot of people don’t have. A good gym will have dozens of other weights machines, types of bars and racks and dumbbell weights on top of that, so a lot of the time it’s not very good value or very effective to do it at home. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/23 "2012-08-29T15:17:04Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’ve never understood gym memberships. It seems like, for the price of a year long contract, I could buy a good weight bench and a decent treadmill on craigslist and then I don’t have to commute to my workout. > > And you could always do pushups, situps and run for free. You could do that for a long time before it “just wasn’t enough” and you require a mechanically assisted workout. But nobody seems to exhaust those options before waddling in for their annual January guilt trip. > > Combine that with the skeezy nature of the sales process and I just don’t understand why people flock to gyms. > > It’s understandable if you’re going to make good use of the Olympic sized pool or the rock climbing walls. But most people just seem to lift weights and run on treadmills. Why do they pay so much for that? How much do you pay for the space to use/store that weight bench, treadmill, and another machine to do things like lat pull downs and seated rows? ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/24 "2012-08-29T15:46:57Z")
My employer will pay for a gym membership; they will not pay for fitness equipment I buy for my own home. The reasons **perfectparanoia** and **isaiahrobinson** give are big parts of it (sufficiently big that if my employer ended the benefit, I’d continue my membership on my own dime), but what got me in the door initially was the fact that somebody else is paying for it. More directly addressing the OP, my membership is with 24 Hour Fitness, and they have prices posted online. Visit their website ([www.24hourfitness.com](http://www.24hourfitness.com)), click on the “I’m not a member yet” link, and the first thing I’m taken to is an offer to join at a particular level for $29.99/month. It’s difficult (probably by design) to get a nice tabular layout of the prices and options, but it is possible to compile on your own if you want, and you can join online without ever talking to a human. It may well be possible to negotiate these rates down if you’re willing to go talk to a sales rep in person - I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/25 "2012-08-29T20:07:16Z")
**Brad** , that’s cool about 24hrfitness–exactly what I was looking for (re:cars, I shop for those online as I do most things, and I pass right by the listings that say “call for price!”). They are unfortunately not in my area though. **DrCube,** I actually had originally just been intending to buy an elliptical. But space is an issue, and the $1200 upfront cost would (presumably) pay for years of club dues. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/26 "2012-08-29T20:26:43Z")
Costco sells a 2 year membership to 24 Hour Fitness for about $340, which works out to about $14/mo. As to why join a gym, for me it’s all about motivation. There are too many distractions at home. I will be much more regular about working out and work out harder by doing it at a gym. Also, my gym has lots of free classes which I love taking. I work out much harder in a class than I would on my own. My workout preference is: 1. Take a class at the gym 2. Do my own workout at the gym … 3. Work out at home ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/27 "2012-08-29T20:35:49Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’ve never understood gym memberships. It seems like, for the price of a year long contract, I could buy a good weight bench and a decent treadmill on craigslist and then I don’t have to commute to my workout. . . I use all the machines except the treadmill. I also use the pool and I love the hot tub. > [@brad\_d](#): > > . . . More directly addressing the OP, my membership is with 24 Hour Fitness, and they have prices posted online. Visit their website ([www.24hourfitness.com](http://www.24hourfitness.com)), click on the “I’m not a member yet” link, and the first thing I’m taken to is an offer to join at a particular level for $29.99/month. It’s difficult (probably by design) to get a nice tabular layout of the prices and options, but it is possible to compile on your own if you want, and you can join online without ever talking to a human. > > It may well be possible to negotiate these rates down if you’re willing to go talk to a sales rep in person - I don’t know. I’ve been buying the 2yr membership card at Costco. I forget it it’s $199 or $299. Still a good deal on a monthly cost basis. One year they offered a 3yr card for $349, but I guess those didn’t sell, because they went back to 2yrs. You have to register in person to activate the membership. But they don’t ask for any financial information at all. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/28 "2012-08-29T20:51:09Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > The gym itself is a bait for you to sign an auto-debit contract that is difficult for you to sever and easy for the financial side of the gym to keep taking your money w/o giving you anything in return; chances are you’ll quit the gym far easier and sooner than you’ll quit their contract. The debt collector I worked for years ago bought Ballys debt and lots of it. Gym contracts are cash cows for the financial arm of the company that owns the gym. Google ‘Ballys’ and ‘debt collector’, sit back and enjoy the vitriol. I used to have Bally Total Fitness as a client, back when I worked in advertising. Their business model was, fundamentally, to get customers to sign three-year contracts. Running fitness clubs was, honestly, a cost of doing business to make that main business model function. I’m surprised that no one has yet mentioned trying the YMCA. I’m a member of my local Y; their rates are somewhat higher than a for-profit gym, but there’s no contract (and, at least the Chicago Ys have recruitment drives several times a year, when they waive the initiation fee). ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/29 "2012-08-30T03:16:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I used to have Bally Total Fitness as a client, back when I worked in advertising. Their business model was, fundamentally, to get customers to sign three-year contracts. Running fitness clubs was, honestly, a cost of doing business to make that main business model function. > > I’m surprised that no one has yet mentioned trying the YMCA. I’m a member of my local Y; their rates are somewhat higher than a for-profit gym, but there’s no contract (and, at least the Chicago Ys have recruitment drives several times a year, when they waive the initiation fee). (IIRC) Years ago my local Bally’s would sell you a three your membership and your ‘dues’ where actually payments on your purchase. You couldn’t cancel because you where just making payments to a finance company. They always advertised some low monthly price that never seemed to exist :rolleyes: My local Y is a little pricey but still the cheapest gym around with a pool if you can sign up on the family plan. If you don’t need a pool or group exercise classes there seem to be plenty of planet fitness type places for ~ $20 a month - Unless there is some fine print I am missing? ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/30 "2012-08-30T03:55:54Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I’ve been buying the 2yr membership card at Costco. I forget it it’s $199 or $299. Still a good deal on a monthly cost basis. I started out with one of those - they are indeed a fantastic deal. A word of caution to those following along at home: That Costco 2-year membership is an all-club **Sport** level membership. In other words, it will get you into any 24 Hour Fitness facilities at the “Sport” level and below. (They have a really weird labeling scheme for their [tiers of facilities](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_Hour_Fitness#Club_levels).) If the particular club you plan on frequenting is a “Super Sport” or one of the rather rare “Ultra Sport” ones, then the Costco-purchased membership won’t get you in. The gym near my house was a Sport when I got started, but over the last winter shut down for several months, remodeled, and is now a Super Sport. They grandfathered my existing 2-year membership in, but once it expired I had to upgrade if I wanted to keep going to that club. Like I said, my work pays for it so I wasn’t particularly price-sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/31 "2012-08-30T04:41:14Z")
They are not interested at all at having you attend the gym. They want to sell you a membership for a year, in which case 90% of the time you’ll go religously for a month, then taper off, then stop going. They know this and rely on it. The gym will, after your year, still continue to charge your CC or Checking acct. In some cases it will take legal action to get them to stop doing so. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/32 "2012-08-30T12:52:32Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m surprised that no one has yet mentioned trying the YMCA. I’m a member of my local Y; their rates are somewhat higher than a for-profit gym, but there’s no contract… Our Y only offers a yearly membership. I am really much more interested though in a 24 hour club. I belonged to one a couple years back and used it pretty regularly late at night (cancelled as a belt-tightening measure–no pun intended, heh). I am leaning, after reading posts here, toward rejoining that place. It’s a local, non-chain joint, not as big or nice as the chain place, but it is month to month ($35), no contract. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/33 "2012-08-30T14:01:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They are not interested at all at having you attend the gym. They want to sell you a membership for a year, in which case 90% of the time you’ll go religously for a month, then taper off, then stop going. They know this and rely on it. > > The gym will, after your year, still continue to charge your CC or Checking acct. In some cases it will take legal action to get them to stop doing so. This was not my experience when I cancelled my last membership. The biggest pain about it was I had to go there to cancel it to sign a form. From there, they took the next payment and then it stopped. So, the gym MIGHT do that. As with everything, buyer beware. Have you ever been a member of a gym? You seem to have a lot of angst about them. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/34 "2012-08-30T16:37:41Z")
I went around with Mrs. J. to several fitness centers, and most were secretive about their terms, being especially unwilling to let you look at their contract form. The big problem with these places is their eagerness to lock you into long-term contracts which are [difficult to cancel](http://planet-fitness.pissedconsumer.com/planet-fitness-way-too-hard-to-cancel-a-membership-20110123217783.html). It’s a business model favored by other concerns as well, notably cellphone providers and home security companies. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/35 "2012-08-30T17:18:04Z")
Sounds like such a seedy racket; but it’s fascinating on a game theory level as well. For instance: it has been said (and I believe it) that most of these places bank on people signing up for long term contracts and then failing to go work out after the first month or so. Then they don’t have to put in the costs of washing so many towels, cleaning as often, replacing equipment as often, etc. But what if this strategy succeeds so well, the place is generally close to deserted? Don’t they need it to look fairly busy to attract new customers to sign contracts? (Makes me think somehow of sort of the reverse of Yogi Berra’s complaint about a restaurant that “no one goes there any more, it’s always too crowded”). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/36 "2012-08-30T17:37:09Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Sounds like such a seedy racket; but it’s fascinating on a game theory level as well. For instance: it has been said (and I believe it) that most of these places bank on people signing up for long term contracts and then failing to go work out after the first month or so. Then they don’t have to put in the costs of washing so many towels, cleaning as often, replacing equipment as often, etc. > > But what if this strategy succeeds so well, the place is generally close to deserted? Don’t they need it to look fairly busy to attract new customers to sign contracts? (Makes me think somehow of sort of the reverse of Yogi Berra’s complaint about a restaurant that “no one goes there any more, it’s always too crowded”). You just book ten times as many clients as you can actually support at one time. Then, when 1/10th of them use the facilities, you are full. You can eventually wind up with complaints about being too crowded, but that’s a good problem to have to solve. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/37 "2012-08-30T17:40:11Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > You just book ten times as many clients as you can actually support at one time. Then, when 1/10th of them use the facilities, you are full. You can eventually wind up with complaints about being too crowded, but that’s a good problem to have to solve. I would think competition from other clubs would make this hard to consistently achieve. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/38 "2012-08-30T17:57:12Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I would think competition from other clubs would make this hard to consistently achieve. Maybe. It sounds like you’re thinking about a new gym getting started from scratch. If so, then they certainly need to double-down on their marketing. New gyms might find it worthwhile to make the first few memberships deeply discounted or even free. But don’t forget that many (most?) gyms don’t start from scratch. A gym can sell its contracts to a new owner. Some sellers are successful, with owners who just want to cash out or retire. Some are failing, but even a failing gym has a client list worth $100,000. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/39 "2012-08-30T18:38:07Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > But what if this strategy succeeds so well, the place is generally close to deserted? Don’t they need it to look fairly busy to attract new customers to sign contracts? Nope. One of my strategies when looking for a gym was to go at the time I normally work out. If it was too busy to get in my workout, it got crossed off the list. If there was no one there, it jumped up the list (assuming it had all the equipment I needed). ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852/40 "2012-08-30T18:54:47Z")
I’ve read that no gym could survive if every member regularly worked out. They would need to build the gym 10x larger. But if they built the gym 10x larger, they wouldn’t be able to afford to run the gym on member fees. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-many-fitness-clubs-cagey-about-their-rates/632852.md?page=3)