Retro Fitness

347 S Franklin Ave, Belleville, NJ 07109, USA

Address:	347 S Franklin Ave, Belleville, NJ 07109, USA
Phone:	+1 973-826-2473
Site:	retrofitness.com
Rating:	2.5
Working:	5AM–11PM 5AM–11PM 5AM–11PM 5AM–11PM 5AM–11PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Anonymous User

I left Ballys to avoid the same issues at this gym. Essentially, it is a low grade ghetto style gym that is cheap and attempts to woo you with brightly colored machines and a movie theater. Actually, the chain itself is a hit. Presenting an affordable gym in unorthodox industrial areas is great concept, and I have been largely very impressed with the many I have visited. The Belleville location is the exception. And when I say "ghetto" I am really referring to this one location, as the others are cleaner, nicer and frequented by people beyond posses of homeboys who work out in packs and monopolize machines.......so the issue of overcrowding is also a problem here. Essentially, the owner and staff there operate under the notion that they are doing you a favor by allowing you access to their "club". I initially had an issue over being told to put weights back. Truthfully, it wasnt that in and of itself. It was that I spent too much time removing the weights of other members who too busy talking to their pals who were staff members. A rule should be followed by all or dont bother. On that note, the older guy there who walks around appears to have the easiest job in NJ. I cannot figure what his purpose is. If its not to put back weights, it certainly isnt to clean, as the golfball sized dust bunnies will illustrate. Not to mention that Ive never seen him actually cleaning any machines or filling the repeatedly empty towel dispensers. Give me that job. Ill put all the weights back you want. The bigger issue though was time. Do not try and listen to music or watch the video screens half an hour before closing........youll be interuppted by not one or even two closing announcements, but three and even FOUR + announcements..........So, the overridng feeling you get is, we are not about to let you finish somethign youre in the middle of for two or five minutes, but that we will get out, exactly at closing time. Folks, Im not talking about abusing good customer service by staying even 15 mins past closing.......although I would imagine that any good gym has some cleaning, paperwork and security to handle at end of day........I always thought closing meant the time the consumer had until the end, NOT when the staff can go home........every job Ive had was about serving the last person, THEN closing out the facility myself.......and as long as people werent vastly overstaying their welcome, it was good business to let it go for a few minutes......once again, a few MINUTES...like two or five at most??? And to be clear, this didnt happen every day...but on those occasions where life gives you a late start, its good to know you dont have to feel uncomfortable for taking a few extra minutes to whip through what youre doing.......and maybe if they didnt sell so many goddamned memberships to the world, one would spend a little more time working and less time WAITING for equipment! Maybe if the meathead gavones at the front desk actually did some work instead of getting paid to flirt with the girls and concentrate on something other than when they were leaving in order to make happy hour at Shannon Lounge to hit on some Sammi Sweatheart wanna bes there wouldnt be the array of negative comments that proliferate on this page. So, to the moron owner who chooses to see the staff as always right rather than the ones who pay to keep his $@#$shop open, keep doing what youre doing........soon youll alienate enough people so Walgreens next door can expand. Its true about you pay for what you get....when you run the joint like a prison, you get thugs and hoods.

Anonymous User

So let me start off by saying most gyms in the area are terribly over crowed and it seems there is no getting away from that. So I felt that it was irrelevant to say it was crowded with not enough parking because this is the case everywhere in this area. But yes you are going to wait for everything you want to use, especially during peak hours. The pros: -price is $20 month which is the cheapest by far in this area. The cons: -smallest of all the gyms in the area which doesnt help the over crowding situation at all. -Very dirty. Locker rooms always smell disgusting. Im also not sure if a single staff member has ever re-racked a weight because they are scattered everywhere and very hard to find when you need them. -when machines break you can count on them not being fixed for at least 2 months. - The Manager at this location is a real scumbag. Tan, bald guy, looks like mr. clean. I walked in my first day and he was EXTREMELY rude. The other front desk staff is very friendly. Im 100% sure the manager is the problem with this place. You could not get a word in without him cutting you off. He has 0 people skills, condescending with every comment. He also makes you cancel your membership 2 months ahead of time but even when you do make that deadline you will still get charged month to month and be blamed for not telling him. He just wants money and will be a grime ball to keep getting it. This will happen for about 5 months post leaving the gym. Bottom line. Dont give this management your business. They will find a way to continue charging you after you leave.

Carlos Loayza

very nasty staff..Mr. clean (the manager) has no people skills..and practically threw my change back at me when I payed my monthly instalment by cash..but THE WORST... is this ONE FEMALE (that for respect I wont include her name) that looks like she is on steroids. Not because she is so buff, but because she has a mean and tough looking face. She likes to intimidate everyone by walking around like she owns the joint. She yells and CURSES constantly at her employees..but like yells yells!! like "CARLOS WHERES THE #$%$ MOP!! DAMNNN" and also at the clients for not putting their weights back ( and not a friendly reminder but PUT UR SH@$ back!)...45 min before the gym closes you hear her voice in the intercom every 5 min reminding us to get ready to leave and to finish your workout NOW....and she starts kicking everyone out 15 minutre before closing...she goes to peoples workstation 5-10 min before closing and literally tells them to stop working out in the middle of a set... You really cant workout in peace with her there...she is always in a bad mood and shows it...totally destroys the atmosphere in that gym. my little brother doesnt even want to go back there because he is scared of her...she reminds me of sheeva from mortal combat (the 4 arm female version of goro) not to disrespect this employee but she tends to get really out of hand. I love all retro fitnesses locations (secaucus, fairfield) theyve held to their standards...The one in belleville is a disgrace though.

Dave SuperNova

DO NOT SIGN UP AT THIS GYM!!!!! Another Terrible Review like the previous comments! I was LIED to by one of the employees working at this place!! Some of the employees barely speak ENGLISH, is this fair? Is this right? Is this legal? I was told during "signing up" that i would be able to "work out anywhere and tan anywhere" during my "annual membership agreement"! I asked 3 times before i signed the agreement and the employee "skimmed" through the agreement and said yes you can work out and tan at "any of our retro fitness locations with this agreement". I only used the gym twice in Belleville since my sister worked 2 minutes away and I drove her to work near there. I specifically told the manger that the Wallington location was closer and that I would use that gym more often when she wasnt working. He told me that all my benefits at the Belleville location would be available in every retro fitness gym. LIED TO! I went to Wallington Location and was told there was a $2 charge for tanning at a "different" gym and my account wasnt even "accessible" from the location you "originally" signed up at. SCAM SCAM SCAM! LIES LIES LIES! Definitely canceling agreement and will block any future transactions from my bank. This is not only unethical but also poorly explained and sold. Companies like these are the factors which ruin young and future generations credit scores due to falsifying information.