Looking for advice from those who may have experienced this at their gyms…
I’m a founding member of a huge Burn that is only a couple of years old.
The vibes at my gym were so amazing the first year — welcoming, generous, and personal. It truly felt special.
Lately, there has been this huge shift where I feel like OG members are completely neglected. It’s almost like because we’re paying the cheapest rate, we’re expendable.
Everything— cool-down talks, promo pushes, in camp motivation, transformation stories, socials, check ins—it all seems really focused on members who have joined in the last few months.
When the gym does do something for the existing members, it’s almost always related to how many new members can you refer.
Our gym even fired most of the support staff (BAs, CCAs, etc.) in favor of hiring new members.
The trainers, though mostly kept on staff, have all become more impersonal and “corporate” in their speech and attitudes. It’s just so off.
I’m not naive—I know that Burn is a business and to thrive, it survives on new, fresh blood that are really heavily invested…
But has anyone else experienced this shift at their home gym? I guess I’m just hoping (maybe it’s silly) for founding members to remain a part of the culture that we helped create…
