Today I visited a gym that is closer to my home than the to which I used to belong.  I entered with a set price in mind:  I’m willing to pay $29.95 a month to join.  I want to pay monthly, not through some giant lump sum, and I only want to commit to a single year.

Three simple conditions.

In exchange, since I’m asking them to work with me, I’m willing to work with them: I don’t need any consultations with any personal trainers.  Been there, done that.  I don’t need any special classes like yoga or spinning.  Not interested.  I don’t need any tanning or massage therapy.

I just want to be able to go to the gym on my schedule and do my workout my way.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The gym I visited today was a little smaller than the one I used to belong to.  A co-worker told me that he belongs to that gym and pays $29 a month, so I knew that it was definitely within the realm of possibility.

But after my tour, I was handed a price sheet indicating that for one year, my monthly fee would be $39.  I asked about the lower price my co-worker has, and the lady shook her head.  “He must have gotten that a long time ago…we don’t have any rates like that.”

Funny thing is, he couldn’t have gotten it too long ago: I’ve only been in Charleston for about two and a half years, and it was close to six months after I moved here that I joined the other gym.  It was at least six months after that the co-worker left my gym to join the one I toured today.  So it can’t have been much more than a year ago that he got that price.

So this lady let me walk out of her facility rather than offer me a $10 discount.

I called another gym in my area.  It’s in a building that appears smaller than either of the other two, and I’m assuming that it has, accordingly, less equipment.  The lady asked for my name, which seems unnecessary until they give me a price I want.  I told her my name and she then admitted that membership there for just the gym costs $50 a month.

Rest assured, that ain’t happening.

I called my old gym and asked if they offer any scenario in which I can join for $29 a year.  The guy asked for my name and number — again, unnecessary — and said that usually, the only way they could offer such a price was to pair me up with someone else in a 2-for-a-discounted-joint-price deal.  Pay more to pay less?  Yeah, that makes sense.

But he said he’d be willing to talk to his manager and that they could probably work with me.

Probably.

I’m a little disgusted.  Finding a gym shouldn’t feel like buying a used car.  I know what I want to pay.  The gym can either take it or leave it.  I’m not planning to engage in any major negotiations.  Especially for the chance to climb on an elliptical machine that I hate anyway.

Being a couch potato means a lot less hassle.