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Post by determined1 on Jul 18, 2016 15:13:43 GMT
Is anyone doing this? I don't see the ROI on this. I've seen the pictures sent out by corporate. It makes the club look different, but I'm not sure that it's better and it seems to be less functional than carpeting or rubber. It appears that they're using a laminate or tile designed to look like wood. I don't see these as functional solutions for a fitness center. I also saw that the flag decal is something like $1,000 (I may be wrong, but I remember it being expensive). To me it just looks like corporate trying to find ways to collect additional revenues from clubs.
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darcy
New Member
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Post by darcy on Jul 18, 2016 19:46:08 GMT
Just finished updating my clubs. I opened in 2005 so I really needed to change. Check out our clubs St Croix Falls and Osceola WI pictures on webpage. Yes expensive! New strength and free weight equipment too. Vinyl flooring that is very durable. I wish that I had purchased Cybex equipment. Not liking the Matrix all that much. I pushed back on a few things that they wanted me to do. I did not purchase the flag decal.
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Post by supercool on Aug 19, 2016 16:33:19 GMT
We did the flag decal and new silver sign, along with repainting a club last year. Unfortunately a Planet opened up right down the street and killed our business. Should have taken that money and set it on fire. Such is life.
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Post by John V on Sept 6, 2016 17:14:21 GMT
Guys about 100 clubs have done this already and about 300 more will be completed over the next 12-18 months in the US and Canada. Don't miss the bigger picture as to why this is being done. Its not just about a better look. sure that is part of it, but it is also about staying relevant in a vary competitive industry. As you will see and hear at convention clubs that have done the modernization, along with implementing the current Snap Fitness play, staffing, technology, PT, Functional training... they are winning and competing in the most difficult of landscapes. The clubs that do the modernization bare minimums, juts to check the box and move on will not see the full benefit from the modernization. We compete in the boutique segment and as such, we need to position our brand as an upscale boutique fitness center. If we don't want to apologize for price we have to excel at service and a great looking product. Instead of being frustrated with this requirement, embrace it and be excited to see what we are doing to make the brand great, for many years to come.
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Post by cheryl on Sept 8, 2016 4:48:14 GMT
I get it phase 1 is club modernization which leads to phase 3: profit. I seem to remember hearing this strategy somewhere else. video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvuT4tBX7hcAJ1onnIlQ?p=underpants+gnomes&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001#id=6&vid=b475252c0ad38aa1d9ab7b200534e09b&action=viewSeriously though, I've looked at the club pictures darcy posted and I like some of the changes they've made. Most likely we'll incorporate some of the changes they made around the front desk area. However, much of what I see is a new color of paint on the walls and different flooring, which was described as a vinyl flooring and very durable, but vinyl and durable aren't two words which go hand in hand to me. I'd like to be able to visit some of the clubs which have completed the modernization. Would you list those 100 clubs which have modernized so we could go visit them and get a better feel for it? I have to say that the one statement made sends off warning bells to me is "modernization bare minimums". What does that mean? To me it sounds eerily like Keynesian economics, basically meaning that if it fails it's because you haven't spent enough. The other components mentioned are: Snap Fitness Play (I haven't heard this before, can you explain what it is? A search on play in the portal documents and videos yields no results) Staffing (We learned about 3 months after opening that the Snap absentee owner model was flawed, and went our own direction. It's nice to see that now years later Snap has realized this) Technology (I'm guessing this is MyZone, because any technology Snap's wanna be tech group touches has major issues and almost non-existent support) PT (This is an area we'd really like help. We see group PT as a good solution and are working to move to that, but finding it difficult.) Functional Training (To us this is a component of one on one PT) For years we've strived to offer better value for the money.I visit Equinox frequently and have adopted many of their practices. To clarify, these are services which are less expensive to incorporate, but have a great bang for the buck. I'd encourage everyone to sign up for a free 30 day trial to your nearest Equinox. Oh wait, I forgot they only provide a free 7 day trial. Some easy things to incorporate, eucalyptus infused cool towels, upgraded machines, a couple iMacs for members to use while at the club and lavish (yet cost effective) bathrooms/changing rooms. At Equinox your $120/month membership lets you use their basic Life Fitness, HammerStrength and PreCore machines. If you pop for the $180/month membership you get to use a different section of the club which has Matrix and Octane machines. Believe me I point this out to our members. Like Equinox we also provide a towel service to all members. If you have a Planet Fitness black card you can use the stand up tanning beds and the hydro massage beds and massage chairs for free. If you have one of these Planet Fitness clubs near you and you offer these services at an additional cost the customer perception is that you're overcharging for basic services. We got rid of our massage bed and brought in a massage therapist. This raises us above Planet Fitness and put us closer to Equinox. However, we're not $120 or $180 per month. Oh, and no we don't provide the massage therapist for free, though we are looking at creating a higher level of membership to include some of these services. Is Snap still promoting the hydro massage? If so I'd encourage you to check out the clubs near you and see if they're offering that type of service for free before shelling out the money for one. Doing so could be doing you a disservice. John, I would encourage you to provide details on what phase 2 is. Otherwise, it's just another underpants gnomes strategy. |
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Post by determined1 on Sept 9, 2016 14:32:53 GMT
I'd like to be able to visit some of the clubs which have completed the modernization. Would you list those 100 clubs which have modernized so we could go visit them and get a better feel for it? This is a great idea!!! Please let us know the 100 clubs which have done the modernization. I would drive hundreds of miles or fly to see clubs which have done this to get a better feel for it and get the overall feeling of a club which has gone through this. When we first opened we were torn between rubber floors and carpeting. We also spoke with owners who had the different flooring. It was pretty obvious to us that carpeting would be a big mistake, and the owners that went that way regretted it. A picture may speak a thousand words, but visiting, touching and experiencing is priceless. Now I'm excited to go and see some of these modernized clubs. Please list these ASAP so we can get a level of comfort with this. |
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Post by fishstyxx on Sept 14, 2016 20:44:28 GMT
I'd also be interested in seeing this list of modernized clubs in order to see things first hand. LOL at the south park reference, very fitting. Which person at snap is Cartman?
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Post by determined1 on Sept 17, 2016 16:31:48 GMT
Still waiting for a list. Also, the link above requires wading through a bunch of videos. Here's a better link: vimeo.com/79954057 |
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Post by What Me Update? on Sept 20, 2016 18:12:20 GMT
Just finished updating my clubs. I opened in 2005 so I really needed to change. Check out our clubs St Croix Falls and Osceola WI pictures on webpage. Yes expensive! New strength and free weight equipment too. Vinyl flooring that is very durable. I wish that I had purchased Cybex equipment. Not liking the Matrix all that much. I pushed back on a few things that they wanted me to do. I did not purchase the flag decal. Hi, Darcy. Say, I am looking at pictures of your Osceola club, but I don't see anything different other than the original stripes and the yellow stripe we had to put on 2 years ago is now gone. Are the 3 pics you have online there current? If so, what is different from the original? |
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Post by determined1 on Sept 22, 2016 19:58:36 GMT
I read through their website and facebook pages. It looks like they painted the walls and changed the flooring, but I believe they also upgraded all, or at least a good portion, of the equipment, both cardio and strength. I don't see that changing paint or flooring provides a compelling reason to be a member of a club, but having newer equipment can help to sway prospects to your club. There are advancements and niceties with some of the new equipment. However, there always the old school people who want to stay with the equipment they had when they were a teenager.
Every year we spend about 15% of our profits on new equipment. At some point I keep thinking I'll be done, but I keep finding new equipment I think will benefit members, keep them more active in the club and pull in more members. We're sure to highlight this as a differentiation between us and other clubs. We're probably overly paranoid. Our current upgrade plan includes replacing about 60% of our cardio equipment and changing out a couple of our selectorized machines.
Over the years we've also redone almost everything done by the SWAT and Stuper Security team. The stripes they put up were decals. These worked in about 80% of our club, however there were areas they needed to follow the lines for a professional look and instead just left gaps between the decal and the wall. It drove me nuts. They did do a good job on our flooring though.
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Post by determined1 on Sept 23, 2016 23:50:19 GMT
I guess if someone decides to go private they can leave their color scheme and stripes up since that's no longer considered a snap "look and feel"
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Post by cheryl on Oct 8, 2016 21:52:39 GMT
I thought someone posted a link to a company that does the simulated wood floors (which are actually vinyl). I'm contemplating this for our cardio and selectorized area. Anyone know how long of a wait it is before you move the equipment back onto the new flooring? I'm also curious as to how long it takes to complete and the cost per sq ft.
I'm also looking at brushed aluminum/steel and stone for the bottom. The thing with the stone is I can't find a good cap for the top part of the stone. Suggestions?
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Post by veryfrustrated on Oct 11, 2016 15:34:32 GMT
What exactly is corporate suggesting/recommending/requiring for equipment updates? Is it still Cybex and Matrix? Are they requiring updates of cardio AND sectorized resistance training equipment along with $1000.00 wall murals and faux wood flooring?
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Post by cheryl on Oct 11, 2016 16:21:18 GMT
From what I can tell
- Faux wood flooring
- Wood paneling
- Remove red/grey/yellow stripes
- paint one wall red
- put up decals
- replace old equipment (I believe it was the Cybex VR | 3 equipment
- Still Cybex. Matrix and Octane
- Install MyZone
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Post by greenergrass on Oct 11, 2016 17:31:43 GMT
And if you can't afford to spend the money or don't want to spend the money, if you aren't willing to lose more money, they'll be happy to help you find a buyer for your gym.
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