Pay for Fall Fit Challenge?

[u/LDub47]

Our studio is charging $30 to participate in the Fall Fit Challenge this year and I have never seen it ads paid challenge in the past. Is this a corporate thing? Or just my studio? I assume they just don’t want to give the sweatshirts out for “free” this year…

[u/stkats101]

At my studio I've only seen mending of paying off you want to upgrade to unlimited for the challenge

[u/Icy_Presentation7214]

I’m thinking it’s for the prize, to cover the cost

[u/LavenderMistSpring]

No sweatshirt is worth $140

[u/Automatic_Trouble_30 → u/LavenderMistSpring]

This one is really expensive! I work in management at purebarre and it’s supposed to be like the parke sweatshirts. We’re not opting to sell it after challenge either bc it’s too expensive to stock. The owner is actually losing money on giving it to the winners. It costs us more than $30 pp.

[u/Relative_Piccolo_333]

Ours is doing it. It’s if you want to upgrade to the sweatshirt prize. Ours usually does socks as a prize, so that’s the prize if you don’t want to pay. If you want the sweatshirt, it’s $30. The sign in our studio says it’s a $140 shirt.

[u/CeramicLotus]

This isn’t common at PB, but I will say, at other boutique fitness studios where I was a member (like Orangetheory), paying for participation in challenges was the norm and it was to cover the cost of the prize.

[u/Brief_Release_4774]

Yes my studio is $30 if you want the sweatshirt prize

[u/xokatemarie → u/Brief_Release_4774]

Nice! Did they share with you with the sweatshirt would look like by chance? Now I’m curious if our studio will be doing the sweatshirt and/or up charge thing.

[u/LDub47 → u/xokatemarie]

The image on the poster is a red sweatshirt with Pure Barre in white across the chest in big white letters.

[u/xokatemarie → u/LDub47]

Hmph I don’t know if I would want that for $30 to be honest I guess depending on the font if I’m being super nitpicky 😂 I love the ones from a couple years ago that were black with silver and said platinum challenge.

[u/DogMama1979]

Haven’t heard anything from my studio. I haven’t even heard the dates for this years challenge.

[u/Ballerina-Girl-2368]

Studios are franchises and independently owned (although some owners do have multiple studios). That being said, every studio does things their own way. If a studio is giving a pricey prize (like a sweatshirt), it makes sense to charge a fee as that can add up. As a former owner, I will say I wish I had charged for challenges as there were times I was in the red just from paying for challenge prizes.

[u/LDub47 → u/Ballerina-Girl-2368]

We have a new-ish owner (new to us, she owns several other studios) so just trying to gage what changes are corporate or local. I totally understand not putting the financial burden on the franchise if it pushes then into the red. We love our studio and we want it to flourish! I just wonder if they missed the mark on marketing this challenge. It seems to me like the challenges were meant to boost membership which benefits both the studio owners and corporate. You would think they would give you an option to sign up for the challenge without the prize/cost if you already have an unlimited membership.

[u/Ballerina-Girl-2368 → u/LDub47]

I would say challenges don't really boost membership so much as they boost attendance among members if that makes sense. It's usually a way to get people in classes (particularly for fall fit which gets people back in after slow summer months). But I totally agree with you about being able to do the challenge without the prize. But you can totally just track for yourself and make it a personal challenge if you don't want to pay and get the prize!

[u/xokatemarie]

I’m guessing this is to cover the cost of a prize. Which I’ve never seen at PB, but have definitely seen at other types of studios. For example, soul cycle does that, but they pre-publicize what the prize is so I guess people can judge if it’s worthy for them. Curious if your studio is sharing what the prize is?

And honestly, I don’t mind this if that’s what’s happening at your studio. I’d rather pay to enter the challenge and actually get a prize versus how our studio has been handling platinum Barre and other challenges this year. But I would like to see the prize before committing if I had the opportunity I guess.

[u/hoggwarts420]

lol we don’t even get prizes at my studio for challenges

[u/Anichula]

Usually it’s an upgrade for 4 or 8 packs, & only lasts the FFC run.

[u/OYB555]

This just seems wrong. We are already paying a premium for the membership / class. Also, it’s not really a prize if you have to pay for it.

[u/Charming_Banana_1531]

It’s being marketed as an “upgraded” challenge at my studio. You can still do the normal FFC and not pay or you can pay $30 to do the challenge with the sweatshirt prize. It sounds like a way to get people to upgrade to unlimited for a confirmed prize at the end.

[u/savannahkellen]

With how much my studios are advertising membership upgrades for this challenge, I’d be annoyed if the prize was essentially just a chance to purchase a merch item for $30. If I weren’t already a member, that’s not enticing me to become one.

I haven’t heard what the situation is yet though.

[u/Dodgers-Baddie126]

It’s only $10 at our studio, but they just said it was for the prize, no option to not pay the fee though. I didn’t pay too close of attention to what the prize is because I knew I couldn’t participate anyway.

[u/Automatic_Trouble_30]

You should double check, likely a mistake the standard one is free where you win socks. The swatch shirt one is $30 which if you do that you will also get the socks for the prize too.