GNC vs. Vitamin Shoppe: Where Should You Shop?

Whether you’re looking to continue a healthy lifestyle into older adulthood or just beginning to make conscious improvements to your wellness, choosing the right place to shop for health products is crucial. Vitamins and supplements may support your health as an older adult. GNC and Vitamin Shoppe are well-known health and nutrition chains that sell vitamins, performance supplements and exercise equipment. Which offers the broadest range of products and the best experience? Read on to learn more about GNC vs. Vitamin Shoppe and the products they offer.

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What Are GNC and Vitamin Shoppe?

GNC and Vitamin Shoppe are health and nutrition stores, providing the nation with products that contribute to improving and maintaining good health. GNC has over 2,300 stores across the United States and was founded in 1935. The Vitamin Shoppe launched in 1977 and offers its services on a smaller scale, with over 700 shops nationwide. They both provide physical stores and online services.

While both companies provide similar products and services, customers report that the experiences between the stores are pretty different in a few ways. First, let’s explore what kinds of products each store sells.

What Products Do GNC and Vitamin Shoppe Sell?

GNC and Vitamin Shoppe provide a range of products to support health and nutrition goals, including:

Vitamins and supplements
Protein powders and bars
Healthy food and drinks
Energy drinks and powders
Weight-loss management
Exercise equipment

They each stock a range of well-known brands and their own brands of products, such as essential vitamins and performance supplements. Both stores operate through physical locations and online.

Products may be similar between the two stores, but the experience could vary. Read on to find out the differences when shopping in-store and online.

GNC vs. Vitamin Shoppe: Which Offers the Best Experience?

Customer reviews are mixed for both GNC and Vitamin Shoppe. GNC has an overall customer rating of 3.7/5, and Vitamin Shoppe is slightly higher at 4.0/5, according to ConsumerAffairs.com reviews.

GNC Customer Reviews

GNC reviews have shown that the store offers a wide range of items, some of which you can’t easily find anywhere else. They also stock a large selection of protein powders and sports nutrition items. In addition, customers find the prices reasonable for the high quality of the products.

Common pain points mentioned by reviewers include subscription items not being fulfilled on time and slow shipping when products were purchased online. Customers also had trouble with poor customer service both over the phone and in-store.

Vitamin Shoppe Customer Reviews

Vitamin Shoppe has many customers praising their excellent customer service in-store and online. In addition, many said that Vitamin Shoppe carries items that are hard to find elsewhere and at great prices.

Conversely, unhappy customers said that ordering online led to shipping delays or the tracking information of their purchase not being updated. In some cases, items that arrived were incorrect or damaged.

Choosing Where to Shop: GNC or Vitamin Shoppe?

When choosing the best store to purchase health and nutrition items to support your well-being, consider what you need from the experience. GNC and Vitamin Shoppe both carry a wide variety of items. Still, GNC may be more well-known for its focus on sports nutrition, while Vitamin Shoppe has more general health and well-being products.

Suppose you’re planning to do most of your shopping online. In that case, GNC may offer a better ordering experience and more satisfactory shipping. However, in-store, Vitamin Shoppe’s customer service appears to be excellent. Their shops often stock unusual items that you may only find in niche stores.