JUMP
TO NutritionalSupplements.com LIVE -- Real-Time Discussion Forum
Site Search
Weight Gainers
Consumer Review: I Just Quit My Job At GNC And All I Can Say Is Be Careful What You Buy There.
I just quit my job at GNC and all I can say is be careful what you buy there. Their weight gainer sucks! You spend $29 plus for it and you only get 5 servings. Another thing is, is that we all work off of commission, but only on certain products, and any of pro performance weight gainers such as 1850 or 2200 are all commission products.
I worked there for a year and a half and I used just about everything you can think of. The only products I had any success with were creatine and protein, even though most if not all of the immediate weight you gain is water. Protein powders though, I've found, don't add very much mass to you like food will, but it does keep your body in a positive nitrogen balance (without nitrogen you wont grow).
Anyway, the best advice I can give is to stick to basic nutrition and avoid any outrageous claims like 10 pounds in a month. And those androstenedoine companies are selling nothing but androgens which will give you some energy but really wont give you very much in the way of muscle gains.
Response #1
You are the third X-GNC employee that I have heard say the exact same thing about commissions.
Response #2
You say you spend $29 and only get five servings. That is the only reason you say it sucks...but does it work? Is the label accurate to the ingredients that are in there? If you are upping your calories to 4000 per day, you only need to drink one a day and with GNC's brand you can also get the second one at half off. And on top of that if you go on Super Tuesday you get an additional 20 percent off. GNC's brand is by far the easiest weight gainer to drink. So please don't give me a statement like "it sucks." I will worry about the cost. Tell me if I am getting what I am paying for.
Response #3
You big babies! GNC sells some good stuff. There's EAS, TWIN-LAB, NEXT NUTRITION, and UNIVERSAL. EAS has phosphagen, myoplex, and precision protein. Twin-labs amino fuels Next Nutrition has designer whey protein. Universal has the Animal pak, and recently put out Animal stak (containing Andro,Nor-19 and other Testosterone increasing compounds. It also contains Chrysin to increase the half-life of Testosterone in the body. It also contains estrogen blockers for those who are afraid of side effects of "estrogen".
I've tried 1850 by Pro-perfomance. It does take a little time. It took me a couple months in high school. A lot of it is just "Cell-volumizing" ingredients. In order to take advantage of the product and its advantages you need to increase the calories!!!! You can't just take the stuff and expect a miracle. 1850 gave me the edge back in high school. I think its good for beginners. If you want to go like the pros then you have to "STAK" up with androgens and other hormone increasers. Just don't abuse the stuff because it does have steroid effects.
Response #4
I tried the GNC 2200 and gained nearly 20 in about 3 1/2 months, but I was also taking creatine. The only real problem was I started going through nearly a bottle a week. Even with the super Tuesday discount, I was paying close to $100 dollars a month. So the question is how much is weight gain worth to you? For me it's worth it.
Response #5
Weight gainers work fine as long as you use them in the proper way (depending on your goals). I was supplementing with weight gainers (Mega Mass & GNC 2200) while trying to lose weight & was able to lose 28 pounds in 4 months while putting on muscle and increasing strength. All while eating 4000+ calories a day.
For my purposes, the drink was used primarily as a meal replacement to get the calories I wanted without eating every 2 hours. I drank 1 or 2 shakes a day (about 1/4 the serving size) just to get that extra protein without all the fat. As far as getting only 5 servings per container, that's true only if you take 2000+ calorie servings as the name implies. This is a huge waste since your body can only assimilate about 30-40 grams of protein at once. The rest goes straight into the toilet.
I looked at the ingredients and serving sizes when deciding which to purchase and found something interesting. The main difference between the GNC 1800 & 2200 was in serving size and a few token supplements added. Same goes for Mega Mass 2000 & 4000. Double the serving size & you double the calories. I know people who have gained weight as well on these drinks. The main key is they drank 3-4 smaller shakes a day rather than one huge shake all at once. So, in my opinion, the stuff can help you reach your goals if used in the right way.
Response #6
I went to a GNC store and asked the guy that worked there what product he thought was the best for muscle building and losing body fat. He told me Ripped Fuel was the best product, but I found otherwise. It has bad side effects. I've started to get really shaky and lost total concentration as well as having problems falling asleep. I've gotten really weak and I started to gain weight. I assumed that he said Ripped Fuel because they are the most expensive supplements they have. I advise you to listen to all those people who put their time to put a message in here because personal experience is way better then scientific ones or the price of a supplement. It might be more expensive because it has more ingredients, but those ingredients might not be the best ones for you.
Response #7
Not all GNC's are run on commission, only the corporate ones for sure. Franchisees don't use the commission system because it doesn't work in the long run. With anything, you have to research what you're putting into your body and do everything in moderation. I am a GNC employee for a franchisee and try my best to get the best product for the customer regardless of whether it's the most expensive. Because if it doesn't work, not only will you have to put up with their gripe, but they won't be returning customers. In the long run, it benefits the employer and the customer.
Response #8
I also work for a GNC franchisee, and we do not work on commission. We have no reason to suggest a product that we do not feel will benefit the customer. From what I can tell from your entry, you are the typical corporate (unfortunately) employee. Little knowledge, lot of attitude. The long and the short of the situation is that any time you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. It is that simple. Now, lean body mass is a little different than weight but that is not the subject of this discussion.
IF you were maintaining weight before you took the product and IF You continued to eat as you were prior to taking the product, then adding another 1800-plus calories a day WILL cause an increase in weight in one form or another. Unless of course you were taking 1800-plus calories in one serving and it gave you diarrhea, but you took it anyway. But, no one could be that stupid (I hope). As for the rest of you, don't judge all GNC employees by the less than stellar ones you sometimes meet. As in any job, there are people who are worth having around and then there are those you just wish would go away.
Response #9
I would like to comment on GNC products. I am a manager at a GNC corporate store. And I do know that franchise stores do use a commission. At my store, however, our P.M. rates are very low. Myself and my employees do not push products on customers simply to get extra money. Two of my staff members are certified trainers and have been in bodybuilding competitions. We do not give advice on how a product works unless we have tried it or have had several reports from customers on how it works. I'm sure that some people do push for extra money, but just because YOU did, please don't make it seem like that is what we all do. Some of us really want to help other people.
--A manager in Indiana
Response #10
From an objective GNC employee.
Short but sweet--
GNC 2200 Weight Gainer has Creatine and Guarana. At BOGO (Buy 1 Get 1 @ 50% Off), plus 20% off Gold Card day, it's just like another guy said earlier...a deal. When you do that, a cost/per serving comparison reveals that no one within immediate shopping reach can touch GNC's price.
The dude who pays $100 per month for the Weight Gainer understands that if a farmer wants to fatten up his cow, he's got to figure out how much hay he needs to fork over. If something works, don't' complain about paying for it.
And if something doesn't work, it's not always 'the something's' fault. Most of the guys I meet in the store just don't expect that they will have to take their diet seriously. I hear things like, "Man, I eat so much. I eat all the time and I still can't gain weight." Each wants to tell his story and express his doubts but no one says, "Look, I'm fu––ing ready, tell me what I need to do." And even then I won't tell him directly what to do, I will enter a discussion and help him realize the importance of making an initial intense effort and thinking and experimenting for himself, but with a little guidance at the right time.
COMMISSIONS: Please, enough of that. Franchises don't have commissions because they can't afford to. GNC forces them to buy product that will never sell that constantly goes out of code and also charges them a higher price for it. It would sink a franchise, but I don't see how they can get good help without commission or relatively decent pay. Corporate stores do have commission, but there are so many items on commission that a knowledgeable, and considerate, clerk can always find something for the customer that is both effective and earns him a few bucks.
It does bother me when I hear an employee selling something that he hasn't any clue about. Most of the employees are either natural born sellers OR they know how to repeat what they were taught like parrots. I see the glazed over look of the customer trying to keep up with the litany of well-intended half-truths. And everyone there either does not give a sh–– or is a corporate mouthpiece. Ah, so where does that place me? Remember that song, "The Wanderer"?
Thank you GNC, even if you are your own worst enemy with all of your silly little rules.
OK, who has serious questions about product, post them here, no wise guys.
Submit
a Review or Question
New reviews or questions may be submitted instantly on our realtime
discussion forum, NutritionalSupplements.com LIVE. Click
here to register and post your review or question.
