I'm no stranger to Popeye's Supplements, but this particular store location is still new to me…read more With that in mind I'm going to start with a quick review on the franchise and then talk about the McKenzie Towne store location specifically. The Popeye's franchise is actually the first place I bought supplements over 7-8 years ago and the fact that I've continued to use them is a pretty good sign ;-). I've found that Popeye's employees make more honest recommendations and provide pretty good personal experiences with products compared to some of the other supplement stores. I also like that they usually voluntarily give you some free swag (shirts, shakers, samples, etc) when you spend a fair bit. There have even been some times where I haven't spent much and still got a mini-shaker or 2 (those flimsy plastic ones, still better than nothing though lol). I highly recommend viewing their flyers and coupons before you go, this is where you'll find their best deals making it easier to research and plan your purchase. Also their big "VIP" and "Customer Appreciation" sales are awesome times to go, especially if they're doing the free gift bag giveaways for the first X amount of customers. I usually spend a significant amount every time I go, over the years it would equate to $1000's without a doubt. That being said I am a bit disappointed that I don't get great service on every visit to a Popeye's franchise; I've literally had times where I've spent $250-300+ and they just say "thanks" without offering anything for free... Heck even online does the free gifts so I think it's fair for me to expect it, especially as a long time customer. I'm guessing their database probably isn't linked to capture and consolidate customer spend and relationship across all locations though, or if it is it's probably more of a recent improvement. They didn't have the "Popeye's Bucks" back in the day when I first starting visiting Popeye's Franchise's, so I'm sure there's some gaps in their customer relationship management program and framework. I will be honest that more recently I have given away more of my business to online vendors though due to price point, options and convenience. Anyways, the above is my "short" on the Popeye's franchise as a whole. Now to talk about the McKenzie Towne location lol . I've actually only visited this location twice now, on both visits the store associate was very polite and professional and never pushed any products (same guy both times). I was impressed that any recommendations made were completely unbiased and just. One more recent addition to Popeye's that I absolutely love is the healthy foods section (more so a shelf I guess), they have a great line of products including items from Quest and Walden Farms! 0 calorie chocolate sauce and pancake syrup, need I say more?! Another thing I love about this store location is that it's big, bright and feels open! No offense to the other locations, but they're definitely more dank and dungeon like. This is by far the most "inviting" location in terms of atmosphere. So overall, very impressed with this location. Even when I visited the second time to just grab syrup, dressing and chocolate sauce I was still treated professionally, there was none of that "buy more" expectation. 5/5

GNC or "General Nutrition Store" as the store name implies is a health food store; it's a great…read morebrick and mortar store for getting your supplements in person. They have a great selection in all categories of nutrition and supplementation including some actual food/drink items, beauty care, exercise accessories and even pet supplements lol. The selection is solid and the prices are fair... kind of... read on! To get the best prices you must have a membership. To elaborate they have membership card that saves you up to 50% on some items, although you won't get this high of a discount on most items you will always save a few bucks here and there making it a must for most shoppers. Non-membership prices would make this store overpriced compared to the competition and this is what I don't like. It's a bit of a gimmick because unless you're buying one small item and never coming back then you should absolutely purchase the membership. It's like when Safeway used to have their "Club Card" that was free but saved you all this money, whereas in reality it was just bringing your costs down to competitor levels and creating the illusion of savings. The GNC Membership is basically the same thing, but it's not free! It costs $15/year or $20 for a 2-year membership. Their regular prices are marked up compared to competitors and the membership you pay for brings it down to fair level, but it's deceptive in creating the illusion of big savings. I will admit that some of their sales are great and definitely priced better than some of the competitors, but in general non-sale items are the same as the competitor after you add in the membership discount. Some good alternatives are Popeye's and Reflex Supplements. Popeye's is generally cheaper and have better sales; Reflex Supplements has a price match policy and will match "membership prices". Furthermore Popeye's does VIP and Anniversary sales events that include a bunch of free samples and swag, they also throw in free stuff with most purchases and give a "Popeye's Buck" for every $25 spent. Reflex has a free membership program that saves you 10% and for every $100 you spent you get a $20 VIP Coupon for next time, basically you get 20% back! I consider both these supplement stores better for this reason, plus there's no deception and no gimmicks. Yet I still come back to GNC... Why?!? Hate to say it, but their locations are often convenient. This one is located in Chinook and sometimes paying a little extra cancels out having to drive somewhere else. Time is money right? Also as I mentioned in the first paragraph, great stock! Lots of items at GNC stores, some that the competitors don't carry! I still think online is the best combo of value + convenience, but when you need something ASAP or if you lack the knowledge to make a purchase on your own then brick and mortar is still the way to go. In speaking to the service I've traditionally gotten at GNC, the staff is nice enough and make a good effort to try and help, but a lot of them are just not that educated when it comes to supplements. I also find some will try to push certain products that aren't necessarily better, a lot of times they're GNC products as well. So either there's a better profit margin with certain items or they just lack the knowledge to suggest the right choice. Either way the advice I get at GNC is typically worse than the competitor stores where staff is less bias and more experienced.

Sector 6 has everything you need to up your fitness game!…read more Andrew is knowledgable and will create custom meal plans for clients and offers honest advice on supplements.

Poor customer service at the Morning Sun Health Foods in Sunridge Mall, I wonder how they stay in…read morebusiness.

I have always found this business to be friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful on the products…read morethey sell. As well their prices are very reasonable and often have sales on the products I need.

What a gem of a shop! They seem to have all the speciality products that I thought I could only…read morefind on-line! Very similar to the Light Cellar but smaller scale. Love supporting local independent stores like this!

One thing is for sure, the staff in incredibly knowledgeable. Rose and her team have an amazing…read moreenergy and make everyone feel welcome. They don't stock products they personally approve of. We send all of our athletes and members to lotus for all their health supplements because we trust them!!

I went into Nutrition House in search of some oil of oregano. After I was searching the store for…read morea bit one woman asked if I needed help, I told her what I was after and she just pointed to a section near the front of the store. They had about 4 different brands of oil, in varying prices, I decided on a New Roots one at $31 for one of the larger bottles. I browsed around the store a bit more. A different woman asked if I needed any help, I said no, she seemed a bit nicer. There was a great selection of teas, some for specific purposes like PMS, Thyroid, stress support. They also had a whole isle of supplement bars. I found a smoothie mix in the Greens + brand that I hadn't seen before, so I thought I would try it. This place has a great variety of supplements and whole foods. Their prices seem pretty standard. I would recommend this store for any vitamin and supplement needs you might have!

The customer service was crap, I would never go there again…read more Doesn't matter what a place has to offer, if the people running it are rude or ignorant I don't have time for that bs. Cheers.

The staff at Samson's are extremely friendly, knowledgeable and willing to spend time on…read moreexplanations to those of us who need to know. I used to be a die-hard fan of another supplement store, but now I choose Samson's everytime.