If you’re looking for vitamins and supplements that will help you get in shape or build muscle, you can find them at GNC. You can buy protein powder and energy drinks there as well. GNC also sells many of its own premium branded products. While a few other stores also carry these products, you’re likely to find more of them at GNC’s own stores. Many people shop for supplements online, of course, but if you go to a brick-and-mortar store you can get additional advice from the employees there. Here are some other popular supplement stores that are similar to GNC.
Vitamin Shoppe
You can also buy vitamins and supplements made by many well-known manufacturers at Vitamin Shoppe. This store also sells energy drinks, protein powder, and related products. And like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe also has $1 energy drink promotional deals on occasion. This would be a good store to visit if you’re looking for a specialized vitamin and supplement store that’s similar to GNC. Drugstores and health food stores may not carry all of the products that the vitamin stores sell.
It’s also important to consider which store brand you prefer if you’re choosing between Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. Both stores have similar prices and carry similar products, but if you prefer GNC products it would make sense to go to the GNC store.
Nutrishop
Another popular supplement and vitamin store with many Southern California locations, Nutrishop also sells a wide variety of weight loss and body-building products. You can buy energy drinks, protein bars, and snacks there as well. Like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, it carries its own supplement brands. But the main reason to shop at this store is that it’s likely to have lower prices than other vitamin and supplement stores. And it will price match as well.
If you’re shopping for vitamins and supplements with a limited budget then Nutrishop might be a good store to visit.
Vitamin World
You can also shop for vitamins, supplements, protein bars, energy drinks, protein powder, and related products at Vitamin World. This store also has many Southern California locations. Like the other specialized supplement stores, one of the main benefits of this store is that it carries supplements that might not be available at drugstores and health-food stores. I also noticed that Vitamin World has several stores inside indoor malls while the other supplement stores frequently have stores at strip malls.
Again, one of the main benefits of shopping at brick-and-mortar stores like Vitamin World instead of shopping online is that you can go inside and ask the employees for advice. That’s also true for GNC stores, of course.
Lassens
This regional health-food store in my area also sells lots of vitamins and supplements, including its own private-label supplements. Like other health-food stores, Lassens stores have fairly large vitamin and supplement sections but don’t have traditional pharmacies. Additionally, the Lassens employees are also focused on health and are likely to be able to give you advice about vitamins and supplements. And since Lassens is a grocery store it sells lots of high-protein products including premium meat as well as vegan and vegetarian products.
If you’re more focused on improving your health than bodybuilding, you might want to visit Lassens or another health-food store.
CVS
Another place where you can buy brand-name vitamins and supplements is the drugstore CVS. In fact, you can even buy GNC’s branded supplements there, although CVS doesn’t sell as many GNC products as an actual GNC store. Additionally, CVS also sells its own private-label vitamins and supplements for lower prices. This is another good store to visit if you’re trying to save money on vitamins and supplements because this store carries private-label alternatives to a lot of costly health products.
GNC isn’t a drugstore and doesn’t operate traditional pharmacies, so another reason to go to CVS would be to buy over-the-counter drugs that GNC doesn’t sell. CVS also sells private-label OTC drugs for low prices.
Rite Aid
You can also buy lots of brand-name vitamins and supplements at the drugstore Rite Aid. Its merchandise even includes brand-name GNC supplements, although like CVS it might not stock every product that’s available at a GNC store. But Rite Aid can serve as an alternative to GNC or other specialized supplement stores if you don’t live near any of them and it’s a national pharmacy chain with many Southern California locations.
Like CVS, Rite Aid also sells OTC medication in addition to vitamins and supplements but may not stock as many supplements as a supplement store such as GNC.