Working at GNC

Loved the customers and the job really all around. Gained some knowledge and identified ways i could improve myself through my teamwork style environment.

The location i was working at was unfortunately closed down and went out of business only to become a new tanning salon.

Obviously the discounts were great but I also very much enjoyed how many different things i was able to learn about health and the human body.

My boss (the owner) was very disciplined and had an army background so she knew how to keep things in order.

Really the only thing would have been the location because I wasn't allowed to take the trash out at night alone because of crime.

I didn't really prepare it just took it as it came and off the top of my head answered everything honestly and that usually helps me out a bunch. I practiced being transparent.

The pay was not something to brag about and there were not many benefits if any at all.

"During my time at GNC, I found the organization’s approach to representing diverse demographics to be insightful and important, as we served a wide range of customers from various backgrounds. I valued the opportunity to interact with and assist people with different needs and experiences, which taught me how to adapt my communication style and build strong connections. As a young professional, I made it a priority to contribute to a welcoming and inclusive environment by actively listening to customers and understanding their unique goals, ensuring they felt respected and supported. This experience helped me grow both personally and professionally, giving me a deeper appreciation for the value of diversity in any workplace.

What brings me the most joy at work is knowing that my efforts make a positive impact, whether it’s helping a customer achieve their goals or contributing to a team’s success. At GNC, I enjoyed building relationships with customers and guiding them toward products that supported their health and wellness. Seeing their satisfaction and trust in my recommendations was incredibly rewarding. I also find joy in learning and growing within my role, as it allows me to improve my skills and bring even greater value to the team and the customers I serve.

Easy environment.

No management, low pay, no training.

Working with my coworkers, aside from that I'm underpaid bc I'm a part time associate but have been unwillingly promoted to keyholder and manager sort of as I have to make bank runs and sign off on things as a manager.

I love that I have the opportunity to manage at the store level and help others learn and grow.

That the company has filed for bankruptcy.

Cash bonus.

I loved getting to know new people everyday and understanding they’re nutritional and workout goals. Also I loved learning about all the products in the store and getting more knowledgeable made me a better sales man.

The things I didn’t like at GNC was that it was a part-time job and you had to have a flexible schedule to work in retail.

My favorite thing was the commission with sales. I was very good at upselling but also giving the customer what products they needed to help them achieve they’re goals

Pay was decent, it did have commission.

The hours can be a bit all over the place especially with their "restructuring" plan and stores closing down.

There weren't many benefits or perks to speak of; However, the job was quite relaxed and very rarely had large rushes that you might see with other customer service jobs.

it was a store where you helped people make the decisions to help them become the best physical version of themselves

tons of free time to do school work in the backroom

Flexible schedule

Poor management and a focus on one time big sales over making a lasting relationship with each individual

None. No perk was worth staying there

Helping customers meet their health and wellness goals. Executing new corporate roll outs. Merchandising. Inventory management.

Lack of flexibility. Small staffing. Working all weekends and holidays.

Discount on Sports Supplements. Good Healthcare. EAP.

relaxing if you know the products

removed our commissions for part time sales

flexible hours

Having the chance to improve my skills and get in contacts with important companies and people.

Working alone, time to do personal tasks or homework happens frequently.

The corporation constantly over your head. Not only is there daily sales goals, but they expect you to push items and memberships onto people who don’t need them/don’t want them. I’ve had dozens of customers come back with products automatically shipped to their house (via the Auto-Deliver and Save program) when they never signed up for it! (The manager did). They also promote a lot of misinformation when it comes to health. Protein, omega-3s and caloric intake are common areas where they misinform customers in order to sell more product. It’s embarrassing and a disservice to the public.

Working alone. Introverts don’t always get what they want in retail, but being by yourself the entire shift is nice.

The overall products GNC offers are fun to sell and talk about to customers.

Easy

The nepotism and complete buffoonery of the upper management.

Job is easy

The Career in Sales & Management has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual while gaining experience to successfully operate a franchise.

In my 8 years experience I have not had any issues or dislikes.

My favorite Perk / Benefit would most definitely be the knowledge of marketing and salesmanship I have learned to apply while genuinely Caring for a clients individual needs on a genuine person to person level. Forming a lasting relationship on trust, knowledge and attentiveness is the glue to any successful sales strategy.

Selling, talking to people, helping

Management

Helping people reach goals in all ways

The work life balance. Being able to mange work and life!

The distance

PTO/ Emoloyee discounts

There is a large amount of independence and I was able to help and educate some customers.

The job was more focused on selling than I expected and there is constant pressure to meet expectations through pushy tactics.

Employee discount is the only benefit I can think of.

These are the types of questions I like. 500K Net a year. GNC always preaches 50% mark up. However, every product varies. Depending on what location your in, the margin varies as well. (You're in a body image heavy area like California or something and the competition in heavy for pricing). Mine is around 50% exactly. Franchise fees are 9% of total sales. Im looking for 2 times net take home. Good story- Had Brazilians walk in and wipe me out of inventory. Almost a 4K sales. Bad story- GNC called and said don't do it again. They consider it wholesaling. Its a good question. GNC is a hell of a company. They really pick you up when you fall down and teach you how to run a brick and mortar business properly. Im thinking of starting another retail chain OR going back to my real passion of playing music. Maybe open a beer bar with music or something. Even though bars are a risky investment, I believe that true passion for what you want to do conquers all. Thank you for the buzbuysell suggestion.

This is actually pretty interesting about the business and why you should be careful when buying supplements. I hire whoever has a great personality. Even if they're fat. And I have hired fat people. We present ourselves more as a retail store instead of a nutritional advice shop. That way the buying decision lies more on the customer rather than advice from the employee. I save money from hiring an expensive employee AND if the customer has a bad experience with a supplement, they blame themselves rather than the employee and they come back to try something else.

It depends on the actual franchisee or store operator. In corporate stores there is a very high turnaround with employees. Meaning they will hire anyone they believe is good. I, and most franchisees, hire like a normal interview. The knowledge isn't that hard to understand. It depends on the confidence and type of person I'm hiring. That will give me a higher return on my investment on an employee

I would say half of the products i buy are from bb.com and half are from gnc with my discount. The best price always wins.

I am happy i am Opening some Peoples eyes, i work there because of the discounts 10-30% off, and also because of the pay, the commision pays really well.

All prosucts are marked up, like i said, all the fat burners are just vitamins with caffeine, sold for 60$+ (hydroxycut, hydrostim, p-10, all of them). The store makes a huge profit on each product, since it buys in very big quantities.

This might not be of much help because I always had pretty bad OMS numbers the whole time I was there (store I worked at was in the middle of an empty shopping center). When I was able to sell OMS it usually happened because the customers were already going to buy it or I got caught eating it. If you ever have to push the biotin chews for example, always say you take them or a girl you know takes them and it makes their hair long and strong. If you can mainly say that they're good and on sale then it should work in your favor. Another hint is to offer it to them. Every now and again someone will bite.

I also used to work at GNC. I was never asked about steroids, surprisingly, but I was asked by some fat black lady "where's the pill I saw on that TV commercial that builds muscle for you?" Also sketchy guys would come in about every month or so and buy our entire stock of inositol. During training I was told to just act normal, not ask them any questions, and sell them as many as they wanted. If you're wondering why they would by so much inositol... they use it to cut cocaine. Obviously they wouldn't tell us this, but it was what I was told they use it for by the owner and manager who trained me. It's like a don't ask, don't tell type deal. I worked at a privately owned Franchise, FYI.

The inner teacher in me wouldn't let me (and neither would my boss). In all honesty no I wouldn't try to unless it was weight loss. Most of the weight loss products had some sort of commission to it but at different strengths, such as stimulant free to a few steps before crack. So I would lead to the commission stuff but made sure that it wouldn't kill you or anything.

The incentives come from a little thing called commission. Some items have a better commission on them than others. An example would be GNC brand pays less commission versus a third party item. The commission ranges from a dollar to almost ten, again depending on the item. The Gold Cards also have a commission attached to them but its only fifty cents so it doesn't matter much. As for what to push...always push either store brand items first (since that gets counted on your reviews) or, if you're like me and want money, push third party items that pay big.