The Planet Money Workout

Enlarge this image toggle caption Planet Fitness Planet Fitness

This episode originally ran in 2014.

Your New Year's Resolution was to workout three days a week. It's halfway through the year and you've only been to the gym three times, total. Don't worry. Gyms like it this way. They're one of a few businesses that actually benefit from low attendance.

A mix of consumer psychology, architectural design, economics, and tons of free food (Pizza Night, anyone?) explains how gyms purposefully attract the right kind of customer: Someone who will get excited enough to buy a new membership, but not so excited that they actually workout all that often.

Music: "Sun Run", "French Urban Kids" and "The Positive Workout."

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