2009 Gym Memberships - Deal, Negotiate, Haggle

Don't bring me when you're heading out to buy a 2009 gym membership, bring my husband. I'm a pathetic negotiator. My tummy was in knots watching him buy our car, the fridge and that high-end mattress set. He makes these outrageous, low-ball offers and usually wins.

Like the economy, gyms are going through rough times. Memberships were down three percent in 2007, and 2008 couldn't have been good. So on top of the current great offers out there, chains and independent gyms are likely to make a deal -- if you ask. LA Times outlines a host of tips to get you haggling, here are a few good ones:

• When In A Position of Power, Use It -- Review gym benefits on-line prior to a tour, clarify every included or not included detail with staff, then drop the bomb and ask for more -- a free month, a bigger discount, free guest passes, free/discounted personal training, free a la carte services (e.g., the pool).
• Do You Need the Free Mouthwash? -- Why pay $100 a month or more for a luxury gym, when you can score cutting-edge equipment at a cheaper gym, good classes, and longer hours (24/7 in some cases).
• No Contract, No Enrollment -- Can you avoid a full-year contract and negotiate for month-to-month instead? Ask the gym to waive that annoying, up-front enrollment/initiation fee.
• Freeze Your Membership -- Clubs will often freeze your membership if you lose your job or blow out your knee. Save yourself a few bucks until you get it together.

Key note -- if you haggle like a limp fish, bring someone with a backbone along. Then hand 'em those free guests passes.