[dirktheman]

We have a gym that costs less when you train more. You pay €29,- a month but get €1,- discount per training. So if you train every day you train for free.

I'm still not sure wether this is outright genius (most people overestimate the number of times they will actually go) or really dumb (your heavy users train for free).

[WaltPurvis]

Gym memberships are a clever (or diabolical) business model in general. Few people will ever cancel a gym membership once they sign up, because who wants to admit to themselves that they're now making an active decision to be a lazy out-of-shape bastard? I've had gym memberships where I went 5 or 6 times a week, but then there have been other (longer & more frequent) times where I'd pay a gym $40/month and go only once a month, if that. There was one stretch where I paid more than $1,500 over three years and didn't go a single time. Those gyms must have loved having members like me.

The lesson: a good business model is to come up with a subscription product that's aspirational, where people will feel like they're giving up on their dreams or giving up on becoming better if they cancel, because many people will continue to pay you month after month rather than face the sorry truth.

[amorphous]

This might change. Subscriptions are the new thing and customers expect more. Personally, I won't accept a gym membership anymore that I can't cancel in 3 months max.

[WaltPurvis]

To be clear, I'm not talking about a subscription where you're locked in for a minimum of 12 months or whatever. I could cancel any of the gym memberships I've ever had with only one month's notice. I just never did. (Because if it occurred to me to think about canceling, I'd say, "No, I really should start going. I'm going to start going. Yep, I definitely am." And then not go.)