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.***NEW*** After years of people requesting it, I have finally put together the ultimate guide to losing fat. It contains all of the details, all of the specifics, and all of the answers you will need to lose fat as quickly and effectively as possible.
