Johnson Fitness & Wellness Store

I am a complete beginner when it comes to home exercise equipment. My husband and I had been talking about getting an exercise bike for quite some time, and we finally decided it was time to buy one. I wasn’t sure where to start. I went to Sears and looked at their selection, and found a few display models that looked and felt great. I wanted to see what else was out there and get some information from someone knowledgeable and trustworthy, so I made the mistake of heading over to 2nd Wind.I could tell from the moment I walked in that I would not be able to find what I was looking for in my price range. All of their equipment was used, and double or triple what I was looking to spend. I talked to Darren, the manager, who was a very fast talker and very pushy that I spend double the amount I was intending claiming if I only spent the amount I had in mind my bike would “feel cheap” and I wouldn’t want to ride it. He did find one very basic used bike at the top of my price range.As he kept showing me the bike that was double what I wanted to spend, I said “okay, my husband works until 7:00; I might have him swing by to take a look at it.” To which he replied, without missing a beat – “Your mistake there was using the word ‘might.’ When people say ‘might’ they walk out that door and I never see them again.” I was taken aback by how rude and cocky that remark was. He continued on by telling me that if I walked out the door without buying anything, I would start “making excuses” not to buy a bike and told me he has “been where I am” and that “the hardest part was walking in the door.” It really wasn’t. I am not a thin woman, but make no mistake I am a confident woman. The assumption that every fat person is absolutely dreading even entering a fitness facility is a very offensive and judgmental one. Even more offensive is the assumption that if a fat person doesn’t immediately purchase equipment that they will “make excuses” – I’m sure there are plenty of people out there (fat or not) who are shopping around, just as I was. The hardest part for me was not “walking in the door” at all; the hardest part was trying to get out of there without feeling pressured to buy something I was uncomfortable with.To be fair, he was right about one thing – I walked out that door and he will never see me again. I walked out of his door and right back into Sears, where I bought my brand new bike that was within my budget and for the record, does NOT “feel cheap” as Darren assured me it would. My advice to any beginners out there who are looking for a starting point is to stay far away from 2nd Wind, unless you are looking to spend an absurd amount of money all while feeling incredibly pressured, judged, and offended.

I purchased a used elliptical from 2nd Wind, and was told that the equipment came from the home of an elderly couple. I was informed that the couple barely used the machine, and was even told that the couple was slight in build so not a lot of weight had been on the machine.On the day of delivery, the delivery men said that the machine couldn't fit through the doors in my home. When I asked how the machine got out of the previous owner's home, the delivery men told me that my purchase hadn't come from a residency, rather a gym.When I called the manager at 2nd Wind and questioned what he told me about the previous owner, he then back-tracked and said he couldn't recall if it came from a home or a gym.Thank goodness that the machine couldn't fit through the doors in my house, because if it had, I would have gotten a machine that was ridden all day, every day by hundreds of users.The manager was deceitful and unprofessional. I would never trust buying anything used from this store. You certainly cannot trust what you are told about the history of the machine.