3 things you should know before shopping at GNC.
GNC is the leading retailer of nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other health food products. They have over 5000 stores in the US alone, and many others throughout the world
Chances are you’ve heard of GNC already. Heck, you probably even have one (or two) located not too far from where you live. And, since (I assume) you’re into diet and exercise, GNC is a store you may actually be thinking of going into at some point if you haven’t already done so.
However, before you take your first (or next) step through the doors of your local GNC, there are 3 very important things you should know.
1. Most of the people who work in GNC know NOTHING about diet, fitness, bodybuilding, weight loss or health, nor do they know anything about any of the supplements, vitamins and other health products they sell.
These are not doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, supplement specialists or personal trainers. There is no real training. There is no testing. There is no certification or license. There is as much knowledge required to work at a GNC store selling you supplements as there is to work at shoe store selling you shoes.
That’s not to say that the people who work there are stupid, but it is to say that the guy assisting you in buying shoes knows just as much about nutritional supplements as the guy assisting you in buying nutritional supplements.
So, if you walk into a GNC expecting to get anything even close to qualified advice and information, you will be very let down. But that’s not even the big problem. The big problem is… you won’t even know it.
That’s because the people who work at GNC care about one thing, and one thing only… selling as much as possible. They won’t say “I don’t know” when you ask them something they really don’t know. They will just do their very best to put on whatever act they need to put on in order to get your money in the register.
And as far as the supplements go, they don’t care if you need it, if it works, if it’s safe, or if it even does what you want it to do… they just know how much it costs and that you should buy it.
If you are fat, they will push whatever the popular fat burning supplements of that week are. If you are skinny, they will push the popular weight gain and muscle building supplements. That’s it… that’s the extent of their knowledge of nutritional supplements.
The fat person probably wants a supplement with words like “fat burner” or “ripped” on the label, and the skinny person probably wants something with words like “huge” or “mass” or “gainer” on the label.
Of course, it is entirely possible that someone working there has picked up some type of useful knowledge on their own time. Maybe they workout. Maybe they’ve lost weight. Maybe they’ve gained muscle. Maybe they have personal experience using some of the supplements you are looking to buy. While rare, I will admit it’s possible. But unfortunately, the rare GNC employee who actually knows something will sound exactly like the majority of the employees who know absolutely nothing.
I can fill a seemingly infinite amount of blog posts with hilarious tales of the misinformation I’ve heard first hand in a GNC store, not to mention the countless posts I’ve read on various diet and exercise forums from people who have experienced the exact same thing at their local GNC.
2. The only thing a GNC employee is trained to do is get you to buy things. More specifically, they are REQUIRED to do everything in their power to get you to buy their own brand of multivitamins, no matter how much they have to lie to do it.
Those of you who have already been inside of a GNC store are probably nodding in agreement right now. “Yeah… come to think of it… GNC seems to really push their Mega Man/Woman Multivitamin. What’s that about?” Let me tell you…
I have known people who work/have worked in GNC, and one of the more interesting things they’ve told me is that there is actually a quota they have to meet in regard to the sales of GNC’s own brand of multivitamins. Last I heard, a certain amount needs to be sold per hour. Seriously.
This is why when you walk into a GNC, there is usually a 100% chance someone will at some point do their best used car salesman impression and try to get you to buy their multivitamin. No matter what you came in there for, no matter what type of shape you’re in, no matter what you tell them… someone in that GNC store will practically demand you buy their multivitamin.
You can go in there for some protein powder, and an employee will actually say “You know, you should really buy our multivitamin if you’re going to buy this protein powder.” When you ask why, they will, with a straight face, lie their way through an explanation about how the protein powder won’t be as “useful” or “effective” without a multivitamin.
I’ve been a part of this exact conversation more than once.
The same thing will take place no matter what product you are in there to buy. No matter what it is, a multivitamin will somehow make it better. And not just any multivitamin, GNC’s brand of multivitamin. If you say you already take a multivitamin, they will ask what brand. If your answer isn’t GNC, they will then go into their speech about why their brand is somehow better than every other brand in existence.
If you’re overweight, you can expect to hear “You know, you’ll burn more fat if you take a multivitamin.” And if you’re skinny, look out for “You know, you’ll gain more muscle faster if you take a multivitamin.”
Basically, you can go in there with the sole purpose of getting change of a dollar, and they will probably say “You know, these 4 quarters will be worth more than 1 dollar if you buy our multivitamin.”
Another interesting thing I’ve heard is that (at least) some GNC employees are paid commissions. I’ve heard this varies from store to store. Some claim there are always commissions, some claim there aren’t, and I’ve actually heard someone claim that there are, and that you’re told to answer “no” if anyone ever asks if you get paid commissions.
Basically what this would mean is that the more supplements and vitamins the uninformed kid behind the counter can trick talk you into buying, the more money that employee will make. So, when the GNC employee is recommending products to you, it’s very likely because those are the ones they get the highest commissions from that month. This is a good thing to keep in mind when you think you’re getting helpful, qualified advice.
3. Just about everything in GNC is overpriced and can be found online for much cheaper.
But really, if you’re planning on shopping at GNC, the high prices are the least of your concerns.
Counterpoints and final thoughts…
- I just want to make it clear that I didn’t write this to portray GNC as the one evil company that only cares about making money. Really, every company only cares about making money.
- I also realize a lot of stores pay their employees commission, and that the staff of a completely different type of store is just as unlikely to have any real knowledge about the products they sell as the employees of GNC are to have any real knowledge about the products they sell.
- I do think there is a difference though. The person in the shoe store is only selling you something you’ll wear on your feet. The person in GNC is selling you something you’re going to put into your body. Not to mention, it’s pretty hard to get a customer to buy shoes they don’t want or don’t need because people tend to know enough about shoes to make good decisions. Nutritional supplements and vitamins on the other hand are things a lot of people walk into a store completely clueless about. These are usually the same people who aren’t aware that the person behind the counter of this store may know just as little as they do.
- I’m also fully aware that a lot of the products sold in stores are overpriced and can be found online much cheaper. It’s not just GNC. They just happen to be one of the many.
- And finally, like I said, I didn’t write this to get people to hate GNC. They are a store just like any other store. However, I did feel that there were 3 pretty important things everyone should know before they decide to walk into this specific store. And now… you know them.
February 5th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Ha! I used to go in there all the time for protein powder and creatine (until I found them cheaper online) and I don’t think I’ve ever made it out without hearing about how I need to start using their Mega Man Multivitamin. It felt like in-person-telemarketing. Good post!
February 5th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I was recently poking around there and a salesperson tried selling me Hoodia…without me even indicating I was interested in losing weight!
By the way - is there any product GNC sells that you would recommend (other than any multi)? I always had the impression pills and powders are a waste.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
DannyZ, lol… “in-person-telemarketing.” That’s funny AND accurate.
Kate, maybe hoodia paid the highest commissions that month? And about pills and powders being a waste, that’s kind of true. Some things are useful and helpful, but really nothing is actually needed. You can get by perfectly fine without using a thing. The only products I can recommend are what I use, and I really don’t use much. Really it’s just a whey protein powder, multivitamin (or other vitamins) and fish oil. I’ve been meaning to do a post about the supplements I use and/or recommend. Maybe some time soon.
February 5th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
The problem is that most people don’t consider buying something for their own health to be a major purchase. If I’m going to buy a car, I’m going to do some research on it first. Same with a house, furniture, and anything else. When I’m thinking about buying a new supplement, I’ll research it out first. Then, I’ll walk in the GNC (or whatever store) and just buy what I know I’m looking for. The only question I ask the sales guy is “where is your (insert product here)”. Several times they’ve asked me “What’s that?” So I take a minute and tell the what it is and what it’s said to do. I don’t expect them to know, its up to me to know. In my opinion they’re just there to help me find it.
February 6th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Funny, I was just in a GNC at lunch today to buy some ON Whey Protein. Of course they didn’t have the flavor i wanted so i am stuck trying a different one, no big deal. It was only $31 for a 5 pound tub. Not too bad after the ‘Gold Card’ and other marketing promotions. I have browsed online for supplements before and have noticed that it is cheaper for certain items. Of course if you buy in bulk it will be cheaper. But you do have to put Credit Card info online plus pay shipping and handling at some stores online then wait for it in the mail. Sometimes its easier to shop at GNC. I also agree with the fact that people at GNC aren’t completely qualified. There is always an excuse at the place i go that he has ordered non-GNC stuff and it will be in later in the week, but then recommends their crappy GNC branded items. I have been told to take a multi-vitamin with my protein, but i did not buy theirs. I went somewhere else to get it. But in the end, it is difficult to listen to someone talk to you about how great this supplement is when they are skinny or overweight themselves. It definately pays off to do research before you shop, and to read articles like the one you wrote. Keep em’ comin’, i read them all the time!
March 13th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I heard the same exact thing. When I first got into bodybuilding about 6 months ago I wet to GNC to buy 100% ON Whey. At the checkout I girl was trying to sell me their multivitamin and she seemed so damn consistent. Obviously I said no when I found out the price. When I go to a store, I already know what I’m looking for. I mean, it’s so annoying when companies try to push their products on consumers.
March 24th, 2007 at 2:09 am
I am sorry that you found it unpleasant to shop at GNC. I work at GNC and can honestly say i sell what fits the plans and motives of prospective customers. I ask a series of detailed questions before even picking up one product.
I have a rule with working with customers. Im trying to make customers long term. Most if not all of the products i sell i try first. Most certified dieticians are not supplement experts, because the knowledge base of dietary supplements on the market is changing every day. I dont go to a customer and say hey buy this. I give them options and let them know what the most important thing they can do is.
GNC offers programs for its employees to learn more. Alot of the programs are mandatory as are most supplement companies. Gnc does not support bleeding a customer dry. It supports customer service. I push myself every day to cram in more information not only from textbooks but the customers themselves. I currently am studying to become a personal trainer and also am on the off season for amateur bodybuilding.
Every retail company has a quota and many more have commission plans. Quotas prevent employees from not working and boost incentive for helping customers. Notice that a company without a quota would only produce employees without drive and no real customer service.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Wow, do you have strings attached to you while the corporate jerks are dangling you?
Look, GNC rips you off. You know it’s true. But I have found a compromise with GNC. I did get their Gold card, and yeah, the 20% off is actually useful. But the main secret for me to get inexpensive items is couponcabin.com.
I SHALL SET YOU FREE MY FRIENDS!!!
They have discounts for everything. AND IT’S LEGITIMATE. The discounts work. I wait and when I see a coupon I can use, I do it. Couponcabin.com gives you the promotional codes that you can type in when you are about to buy it.
No I don’t work for coupon cabin, or GNC. I am going to be a firefighter. I need whey protein, vitamins, and other neccessities. And since I quit my job to train for the academy, money is kind of tight (thank goodness for ebay so I can sell some of my stuff for hard cash).
So remeber, get the gold card. I was afraid to buy it for 15 bucks, but I’ve made my money back well over. And use couponcabin.com. They are for real, and have saved my tons of money on other cool stuff like bestbuy, amazon, and cruthfield. Never pay retail, that’s for morons who want to give away their money.
July 6th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Congratulations on a fantastic website. I would rank it
in the top ten on the web!
You have motivated me to take up the weight loss battle
again, but armed with the true facts.
I have no doubt that I will be successful this time.
In the past, I used to bounce from idea to idea, from
plan to plan. None of these ever worked, only made me more frustrated.
Thank you for sharing your experience so that others may benefit.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I just want to thank you for your information it’s been helpfull,now where can I get the cheapest price muscle products and mens health vitamines, what web site or what stores. Again thank you.
July 27th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
All the things in your blog are absolute fact and lies go far beyond the sales floor. I just ended my employment at GNC after 3 years to pursue my career and couldn’t leave fast enough. I have degrees in Health Fitness and Nutrition and can honestly say I was never dishonest to a customer and never sold my soul to the GNC devil. You are alot better off doing your own research and shopping online at sites like vitaglo.com where the same products are WAY cheaper without none of the salesperson BS. I’m not a disgruntled employee by any means but some of the practices that go on in that company would make people irate and borders on bad business practices. When people with major health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity put their trust in your hands you have a responsibility to be completely honest with that person and not use their health problems to put more money in your wallet. The pharmaceutical companies do plenty of that. My recommendation is to do your own research and shopping around. You are your own salesperson and you should take responsibility for your own health Don’t become caught up in the lies of a few.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:00 am
I googled “I hate GNC” and this is what I found - interesting site. I am currently working at GNC and have been with them for two years. There is alot of pressure to meet quotas for multivitamins and gold card sales. Also we have different contest goals that each store is expected to reach each week. So if you go into a GNC and the employee is trying to get you to buy a Pro Performance product or to sample something at the counter, chances are there is a contest on that item. We do get paid a commission (and it usually sucks) on top of minimum wage.
I’m not a disgruntled employee, although I am thinking of switching jobs and going back to school. I feel the consumer should be informed and like any other retailer GNC’s bottom line is the dollar.
December 16th, 2007 at 3:27 am
hi i currently work at a gnc and am real sick and tired of my manager pushing me to sell so much on the damn multivitamins and those stupid gold cards… in the past i loved working there becuz it was chill but now its so stressful becuz we have to meet a certain goal…i do not try to sell the gold card unless someone comes in an buys alot of stuff… i see that it is pointless on selling a customer a gold card that cost $15 and he or she will only save 5 bucks… and with the multivitamins i ask but do not push it…if they do not want it then i wont be like take it or u will die! lol i see my manager always grab the item from counter and ask customer if they wanna try it and also ask about the saving discount program and explain and really it seems like GNC IS HER LIFE pretty sad when my manager isnt married or has kids…also sometimes customers do not want to be bothering when they just come in to look around… i just say hi welcome to gnc and if they say im just looking around then i let them…unless i think they are stealing someting or wanna steal something i come up to them and ask questions but besides that im behind the counter just there to help out with any questions…we get trained but really its not that hard to work at gnc you pick up things as you go along…i only sell things that i know work and will help out a person…also i sell things that i use or have used or have had positive feedback from customers…i aint the best when it comes to knowledge but i know wats wat…i workout and just want to help people to get their goals not sell them something they wont need…also if i could i would give every customer a gold card discount becuz i want them to save becuz i know how it is when you dont have alot of money and want to buy something…sometimes i use my employee discount on drinks or bars…i dont hate gnc but they should really change the way they run business…and ya there is employees that sell wat has the most commission but those are the products that really work
December 16th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Hey guys just get your selectionsonline is way…way cheaper and GNC employees all of you guys are full of shit!!!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
you know you point out some good facts, there is a quota of mulitvitamin sells that we need to meet , i also agree with you about how many GNC employees do not know much about what they are trying to sell. But , in my case, i am an avid lifter. I lift five days a weeks and i have taken many different supplements that are sold at GNC. I know everything about them , good and bad. I take a GNC mega men, i tkae flaxseed oils. not all employees are like this. most acutally go to gyms themselves and are interested in what you really want. when people come in and they tell me what they are looking for i always point them in the direction of what i think is a good product, not for the comission of the sale but for the quality of it. I also tell people that take weight loss pills to be carful in the they are ingesting becuase there is alot of bad supplements out there. what i want people to know is that this essay or whatever is might be is only 30% true, if you knew enough about nutrition you would find that mega men vitamins are one of the best male multi out there. and i know this because i am a full time student and i am majoring in nutrition and i know enough to keep any one happy on what they buy…
January 21st, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I don’t know if i’m just lucky but the GNC that I shop at isn’t anything like the description above. I do my research before hand and i usually know what i want. But i also ask for a second opinion and the salesperson Always knows what they are talking about. And about them always trying to sell the GNC Brand suppliments, The sales people almost always turn me away from them telling me about the better products in the store. I guess the point of me writing this is to say that the description above doesn’t necessarily apply to all the GNC Stores. I love mine
January 26th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I used to work at GNC for almost 2 years & it was the best retail job I’ve had because of the Commissions, I currently work at Radioshack right now & what A mistake that was! The more honest you are with the customer the more they come back.. Its really your choice as a sales associate if you want to lie or not. Although because its in regards to peoples health conditions, if a sales associate sold the wrong item it could do serious harm to someones health. I loved working there, it was chill.. My manager didn’t pressure us.. He knew we had no problem selling and making commission off it.. All I have to say is NEVER go to Radioshack! You dont know how good the commission is until you go to other retail stores that pay you close to nothing!
February 6th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I also worked for a GNC that was a low volume store. There was alot of pressure on us to perform at a certain level.
I had prior gym experience and was (at the time) in school for Health and Nutrition sciences. We had to sell a certain PERECENTAGE of items to our SALES for the day. This included gold cards, multi-vitamins, fish oil and vitapaks. You are even supposed to have a certain percentage of commision to sales.
The commission made is on Third Party products and not really the GNC brand. We also had in store contests to try to sell as much as possible.
Anything that they will “sample” you at the counter is on the contest - papaya enzymes, vitamin C, and acidophilus. We had to sell like 4 a day.
In the 1 and a half years I worked there, I never got a raise or promotion, so I had to boosy my paycheck by selling lots of fine MUSCLETECH products.
I have a great fitness, health and sales background and I still had to hustle to make money.
In the end, it comes out cheaper to buy from Puritans Pride or Vitamin Shoppe. Do your own research on the supplements you are interested in taking for yourself before you go in a GNC.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I work at a GNC corporate store, and I agree with some of this post. Pushing the multivitamins and Gold Cars is annoying, and I feel really uncomfortable doing it. I’ve never been much of a salesperson, anyway. I pretty much just skip that step and no one has said anything yet. There IS a multivitamin percent we have to meet, but we easily meet it at our store because a LOT of people come in for them. It’s what most of our sales are, anyway. Besides, every retail store that expects to succeed is going to have contests and push money and quotas to meet. Otherwise, retail employees will be super lazy and they’ll have no reason to get rid of them. I don’t know if every GNC is like ours, but we’re pushed more towards great customer service and return customers, not just getting people to spend as much as possible.
There is definitely training and testing. I don’t know where you got your information. Maybe you worked there years ago or something. Now they do have testing and a LOT of training. The training and testing really never ends. Employees are required to learn about new products every month.
Also, if someone comes in the store and asks a question that I don’t know the answer to, I tell them I don’t know the answer and then start looking for it. There are some good resources and certain managers and employees around our area to call that it would be stupid to lie to a customer.
I’ve already learned a lot working at GNC and I work hard every day to continue learning it. I’m sure there are GNC employees that bullshit just to earn the crap PM incentives, but the best thing a person can do is to inform themselves and not put their health in a retail employees hands.
I’d like to add: lazy people stop coming in GNC and asking me for a miracle. You can’t lose weight and still eat fast food three times a day. Life changes take commitment. Also, don’t get mad at me for suggesting a lifestyle change. Don’t rudely suggest I don’t know what I’m talking about just because your friend Myrtle lost 35 lbs in a week on SlimQuick. Here’s the hard truth. Myrtle’s on crack and didn’t want to tell you. It’s at this point I WILL suggest to you whatever fat burner has the largest PM and best claims on the box. That’s all you want anyway.
March 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I was recently at a GNC store where the out-of-shape guy working there insisted that GNC protein was better than the Optimum Nutrition brand I always buy. He said there are over “20 quality checks” on GNC and no such check on the ON brand. I said I was buying the ON brand anyway to which he said “Well, I’m a nutritionist. If you don’t want to listen to me then fine. But facts are facts.”
One good thing about GNC is that if you make the mistake of buying their shitty mutli-vitamins, you can return them - opened (!) - and without a receipt. They won’t give you a refund but you can use the store credit for any of the few quality products they actually do sell there.
If you want a good vitamin AOR Ortho-Core is the way to go. Life Extension Mix capsules are also good - you can get those at your friendly neighborhood Vitamin Shoppe
March 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
actually frank, its funny i work for a gnc and ON (optimum nutrtion) actually makes the gnc pro performance protein, ever notice the labeling even looked alike before ON changed theres. And i do agree with most everything that was said but i work for a franchise store and no offense but we hate the bad name coorporate stores have given the franchise community we have been in buisness over 15 years with about 10 employees in that time frame, we only hire educated individuals in the health and nutrition field and if they dont cut it we make a change but the customer is always first we have a TON of books and internet access so if we cant answer a question we find the answer for you being a franchise store we have the ability to order more than just GNC products so we will only sell you the best, trust me we do the top numbers in our district yet get destroyed by coorporate on gold card sales and multi sales bc our numbers are sooo low thats all they care about being a borderline million dollar store they dont care about we get calls all the time like hey you gold card numbers are dipping. putzes they are.
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I’ve worked at GNC as a part-time employee for almost two years. While I do agree with some of what you are saying, I want to add/clarify some things…
You really shouldn’t blame a GNC employee for doing his/her job. I’m not saying a blatant lie or disregard for your health is ever right… But when a GNC employee encourages you to buy a particular product, they are only doing so because either 1) It’s an item that they have to sale in order to meet sales goals. When you don’t meet sales goals you can get written up, managers will breathe down your throat, and you can even get calls from senior store managers or regional sales directors. Why? Because if managers don’t meet quotas, they are pressured and yelled at by their regional sales director. If the RSD doesn’t meet quotas, he’s yelled at by his boss (and so on and so on).
OR, 2nd reason… The employee is selling you an item that will make him/her commission. Employees only get commission from certain items (and this changes monthly). Considering that GNC pays employees minimum wage with NO benefits besides an employee discount, you can’t really blame them. (You can supposedly be reviewed every 6 months for a 15 cent raise. In my 18 months I’ve requested this at least 5 times and I’ve never even had a review, much less an actual raise.)
Oh, and if an employee or manager works more than 40 hours… you get paid HALF your salary for overtime. So you get LESS than minimum wage. (Oh, but of course… you get commission, so they are somehow legally allowed to rip you off.)
And speaking of commission… GNC employees do NOT make good commission on GNC products. So those multis and Gold Cards they are pushing… aren’t even helping the employees themselves.
As for product knowledge… No, GNC employees are NOT doctors or nutritionists. However, we are not supposed to claim that we are. If a customer ask a question like, “I’m taking such and such medication, will this vitamin interfere with it?” we are supposed to, at ALL TIMES, tell them that they have to consult their physician, we are not supposed to make unqualified claims.
There is definitely a large range of knowledge amongst employees. I know some employees who know MORE about sports nutrition than an actual nutritionist would know. I know some who have taken vitamins and herbs all their lives and have first-hand knowledge of almost all the products in our store. However, this is most definitely not a requirement for the job. A new, part-time employee is trained for two weeks. “Training” consists of being taught how to sell certain products, and reading through the training workbook. This workbook only has information about GNC brand products. Any knowledge an employee acquires about a non-GNC product is taken from either his/her own first-hand experience, the experiences he/she learns about through customers and other people he/she knows, or his/her own research on the subject.
And really, you can’t expect a part-time employee making minimum wage to spend hours doing research on the products GNC sales (without even getting paid for it).
I totally agree that everything in GNC is over-priced. I think they do sell a good multivitamin that is way better than the One-a-Days or Centrums that are out there (just compare nutritional information and you will be able to tell this). But there are other high-quality multis that are cheaper. (GNC themselves sales Miracle 2000, a good multi… but one that you will NEVER see a GNC employee recommend.) And for sports nutrition products at a better price, I like planetarynutrition.com. (Oh, and GNC brand sports supplements are just terrible. I’d never buy them myself.)
Personally, I hate selling people anything. Should every person be taking a multivitamin? Yes, I honestly think they should, but no, I don’t think it has to be a GNC brand multivitamin. I don’t think I’ve ever sold anyone a product when I honestly thought there was better product in the store for them. I’ve sold things that I knew were cheaper at Wal-Mart (and that’s sad, because it’s in the same shopping center as GNC), but no one at any store would say, “You know, this is cheaper at such and such place.” And I do have specific, and helpful knowledge about certain things.
In short, if you’re going to hate the company, hate if from the top down, not from the bottom up. It’s the corporate workers who make the most money and get the most benefits from the “dirty work” (the selling that goes on in the stores) that the minimum-wage employees (and not very well-paid managers) do.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
hi i work at GNC right now and there is a pressure of the selling of vitamins. But I’m also enrolled in school to become a nutrionist, I don’t belive in selling you anything you don’t need so when I have to make a sale I actually go through lists and goals.
Plus i hate caffine weight loss products, you don’t really need any of the stuff, expect multi vitamin - (It’s part of the food pyramid now) sometimes I take the digestive pack (I’m lactose intolerent so it helps) maybe a few more but anyway
April 29th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I went into a GNC to pick up some protein. The salesperson pulled out a shaker cup from the mini-fridge and had me sample a new protein “Max Protein”. It tasted like chocolate dessert! I couldn’t believe how great it tasted. He said all he did was mix it with water. I purchased the 5 lb. bottle for $60.00 and headed home. When I made my first shake, it was nothing like the sample I tasted. The sample was very dark brown with a very smooth texture. When I made my shake the same way he described, it was a tan color and very gritty and had a horrible aftertaste. I am almost certain that he added chocolate sauce to give it the flavor. What a scam! I will not be going back to GNC!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Dan,
Youre clearly an idiot. All he did most likely was use less liquid to make it better tasting. You probably didnt mix it well which is why its gritty
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
Every body has made some really interesting points.
i’m not a diet expert or anything,but I can relate to everyone who has experienced the hustle of a GNC employee.One woman at a local GNC store kept shoving items in my face for the time she worked their. (thank God she doesn’t work their anymore)
It was so annoying.She even tried to get me to buy T-Bomb 2 stating (quote) : “it’s like pretty much the same thing as illegal steroids”. While the original T-Bomb was banned,I found this ploy rather tasteless and I’m glad they got rid of her. Every other GNC employee I have encountered has been pretty nice,and has given decent advice.
I suggest anyone who plans to shop at GNC(or any other health store for that matter) should do some research,and really consider what their health goals are before they go shopping. Everything I have ever bought from their,are products I researched and read reviews for.I never soley trust the advice of a GNC employee.If you know what kind of product you are looking for,and you’ve done some research,normaly you can read a GNC worker pretty well when they make alternate suggestions.Some suggestions are with merit,some are completely bogus.
I can’t claim everyone who works for GNC is an idiot are a clueless kid,but at the same time I can’t say their all stupid either.I blame the managers for hiring people not suited for the job.Not as much the employee’s themselves
June 18th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Just recently quit my job at a corporate GNC store.Sales pressure is enormous along with other stressful duties involved.Most sales pressure involved multi-vitamins and Gold Cards.But now the big thing is P3.The P3 program at GNC is designed to dramatically increase sales of high profit margin products.These products include vitapacks,Wheybolic 60 Extreme,7-day cleansing system,Mass XXX.Store managers are pushing their sales associates to sell GNC manufactured P3 products instead of name brand products like MuscleTech because managers get a bonus on GNC manufactured products that their sales people sell.Some managers scold their employees for selling name brands like MuscleTech instead of the house brand-ProPerformance.MuscleTech pays a nice commission to sales associates ,but no additional bonus to the manager.Greedy managers don’t care if their sales people make any commission,as long they get that big bonus on ProPerformance and other GNC manufactured stuff that their people are required to sell. A stores sales performance on P3 and Gold Cards is calculated according to how many of those are sold in relation to the number of transactions per day.If you want to drive a corporate manager crazy,ask that each individual item be rung on a separate transaction.Say that one item is for your Mom,the second item is for your friend and the third item is for youself;and you need to have them rung on separate transactions.If a lot of this type of business happens in a corporate store,it will ruin a stores performance rating.The store will still make the same profit,but the greedy manager won’t get a bonus for a high percentage of Gold Cards or P3 in relation to the total number of daily transactions.If you want the best service,greatest variety of brand names and most honest advice from sales-people;go to a GNC Franchise Store.These people generally don’t care about high percentages on GoldCards or P3.They have the variety and selection to sell you what YOU want to buy.Now that I no longer work for GNC,I bought a GoldCard so i can still get a 20% discount.But I will do my GNC supplement shopping ONLY AT PRIVATELY OWNED GNC FRANCHISE STORES.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I used to work part-time there and it was awful. They paid 7/hr, no benefits, and they taxed you on your low pay. The manager was an old, two-faced woman who tried to throw her “seniority” on me. I eventually quit because I couldn’t lie to customers anymore, I’m surprised that other GNC employees don’t leave for violating their own consciences.
They REQUIRE/FORCE you to push their overpriced vitamins, which probably don’t do anything (there’s no conclusive evidence one way or the other), and they make you sell nonsense items that are high in commissions. You can shop cheaper online and places like Walmart for vitamins and other suppliments, you will literally be astonished at how they rip you off.
By the way, the Gold Card program is a scam. They raise their prices during Gold Card week by flipping that little red tag over to the other side, and then give you a “discount”. If you do not believe me, walk into the store during “gold card week” and look at the other side of one of those red tags and compare the prices, you will be shocked.
Oh and by the way, another part of their gold card scam is their return policy. Try returning something with a gold card and they will “take off the 20% for the gold card discount”, which means they will TAKE 20% OF YOUR MONEY and give you the rest. It’s so blatant I can’t believe nobody picks up on it. I will always remember how my manager tried to rationalize and “clarify” the gold card program with a return - all I did was ask a few simple questions and she was at a loss for words, even to the point of raising her voice to try and “explain” the program.
GNC is a business that RAKES IN several BILLION a year without treating its employees humanely and without a concern for its customers. For over 70 years GNC has been lying and deceiving the general public.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:02 am
I manage a corporate GNC myself and I have to admit a lot of what I’m reading is true, at least in some stores. At my store, we’re as honest as we can be. Sure we bring up the vitamins and gold card to most people (except douchebag assholes that are apparently too good to acknowledge you said “hello” to them, in that case I annoyingly kill them with kindness and attention they don’t want). As for myself, I am always learning on my own time about nutrition, supplements, etc and how they can affect health. I use this information for my own life and then pass it on to my employees and customers. I realize some managers and/or employees are GNC robots programmed to stuff MEGA MEN vitamins down your throat, or sell you GNC protein instead of Optimum Nutrition (which you might find interesting both come from the same factory!) I’m the manager of our region that the big wigs love to hate because we’re laid back at our store and don’t act like we just LOVE GNC!! But they can’t do anything to me because I put up good sales numbers and run the store successfully. I believe we have good sales because we are honest and suggest the supplements we believe will actually help a person achieve their goal. Yes, I’d say over 50% of the supplements are useless (diet section at 100% unless you are just taking them for the energy boost) but some can be extremely advantageous in helping with various health goals. When someone comes in for weight loss, we discuess their current diet and exercise habits, make adjustments, suggest meal replacement powders and other nutritional supplements before we just throw a diet pill in front of their face (unless they just don’t listen and no matter what you say all they want is a diet pill, then you just give in and sell them what they want - I’m talking to you middle aged woman!! - everytime!!) Same goes for any other goal. Basically, it’s hit or miss on whether or not you’ll have a good experience when you shop at a GNC. Our customers love us and trust our advice because we are knowledgeable; however, the store in the next town is run by guys that don’t know anything and don’t care either. I was just at a Best Buy and was talking to a salesperson about blu ray and HD etc. guy really knew his stuff (and I knew he did because I am an A/V buff), then he started going into a sales pitch on their $300+ surge protectors, and it made me think of me going thru my pitches. No matter what retail store you go to that has actual salespeople, keep in mind that it is their job to say these things to you and don’t be a prick about it. If you aren’t interested, just politely say no thanks. When I see some random guy being a jerk to his waitress at a restaraunt or something, I’ll call him out on it and make him feel like an idiot. After working retail for 5+ years, nothing makes me more pissed off than seeing someone take advantage of a situation by being an asshole to someone who is in a job where they have to adhere to the “customer is always right” mindset and can’t stand up for themselves. I live by the rule that the customer is to always be respected if they respect me. If they don’t, I’ll make them feel like shit for being rude and kick their stupid ass out of the store. I’d be more than happy to lose those sales. On that note, goodnight.