Negotiable Gym Membership Fees?

Hi there -

Perhaps a silly question, but one I must ask none the less.  A friend suggested to me the notion that gym membership fees are negotiable.  Is this true?  Can I wheel and deal on my gym membership like I would on a car?

I once saw an episode of Oprah in which she revealed that prices of EVERYTHING -- even department store clothing-- is negotiable (more or less).  It couldn't hurt to speak with the manager directly and see if you could get a better deal.  Maybe they will price match another gym or offer you a special that's not in season right now.  I say, go for it!  Good luck!

I think they are, or at least I did with mine! It makes a huge difference as to the length of the contract you sign as to what you pay. I walked into my gym already knowing how much I wanted to pay and also the length of time and after some negotiation, got what I wanted. Gyms WANT you and your money and they go to great lengths to get it. Of course they will show you their regular prices and act like that is the only thing you can get but if you hesitate, tell them how much you wanted to spend and don't mind spending some time wheelin' and dealin', you should have no problem getting a better price.

Good luck!

I was able to get mine a bit cheaper by asking for a corporate discount.  I work for a large nation wide organization so they did it.  Only thing I had to do was prove that I worked there and I saved $10 a month and over $100 on initiation.

MORE NEGOTIABLE THAN A USED CAR.

We went to check out a new gym a few weeks ago - Awesome facility, equipment, classes, etc....  but the kids room was pretty awful.  After touring the facility we said thanks but no thanks due to that....

Long story short - When we said we weren't interested they suddenly remembered all of these special incentives and sales and the manager gave special approval for a coupon, etc. and the membership price went from $50/month per adult $15/month per kid to -  $400 per adult for 18 months and $15/mo per kid-  That's a difference of $55 per month.

We still didn't switch, but the sales tactics were crazy!