title: How the 'K-shaped' economy is showing up at two big U.S. gyms
author: u/FrustratedBettor
contenttype: redditpost
publication: r/Economics
published: 2026-02-28T15:17:06+00:00
sourceurl: https://www.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1rh56af/howthekshapedeconomyisshowingupattwo_big/
word_count: 731
Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/28/life-time-planet-fitness-earnings-show-k-shaped-economy.html
Score: 852 | Comments: 164 | Subreddit: r/Economics
Top Comments
u/maddie8383 (136 pts):
Lifetime also has childcare services and you can leave your kids there for 2-3 hours each day while you workout or do other things. So it’s actually cheaper than hiring a sitter to come to your house. The perks is what makes lifetime worth it if you can afford it. I knew someone that would drop their kids off everyday to go workout for half a hour and then spend two hours at the cafe working uninterrupted and said it was way cheaper than hiring someone to watch her kids.
u/NYDCResident (74 pts):
I'm sorry; color me skeptical. My read of this article is the exact opposite of the story they are trying to tell. Lifetime substantially increased dues and saw revenues up only 11% YoY. That tells me that membership fell, not rose. Planet Fitness (which I belong to) did not raise dues and yet same store revenues rose 4-5%. That sounds a lot like PF membership increased.
u/campfirepandemonium (11 pts):
Not sure if this is part of it, but in the Chicago area and suburbs a large chain Xsport sold to LA Fitness and the place was literally falling apart, the only clean gym option that wasn't a complete waste of money for me was lifetime... Even though it's a significant price increase, it is actually really nice.
u/Mylifereboot (10 pts):
Former lifetime member. Overall, it was a good club. It was nice to have other amenities at my disposal. It was always clean and the locker room attendant was a great guy. The other benefit was that I didn't deal with a lot of bullshit. People came in, did their work, and moved on. No one filming, no roaming packs of high school kids, and no one just sitting on equipment while on their phones.
I ended up leaving as they just didn't have enough equipment. The weight room was nice but just too limited.
u/Woodit (10 pts):
I could afford a lifetime or LA fitness membership but my planet fitness costs $10/month and is only a mile from my house. Also it’s next door to Casa Bonita, the greatest restaurant on earth
u/hottertime (81 pts):
I train at a facility. The difference between the "Haves" and "Have-nots" is very evident. The difference in the work out clothes, the extra services that are bought, the after work out $15 protein shakes, the use of personal trainers, and of course the time of day. The "Haves" come in during the day when the place is not busy, the "Have-nots" come in after 5pm, at a time the place is busy and you have to wait to get on a machine.
u/ii (5 pts):
My local LifeTime is full, they sent out an email saying you can add new household members if you already a member but they can’t take new members. We have to go in the afternoon between 2 and 3 PM to avoid the crowds. It’s insane.
u/olyfrijole (6 pts):
Every time I hear the term K-shaped economy, all I can think of is the wide open mouth of an evil Pac-Man, devouring the middle class. Isn't that what this euphemism actually means? The wealthiest continue to accrue more wealth, while those without access to capital and power are left out of the growth and continue to slide deeper into poverty. And just like that, while we're using cute terms like "K-shaped economy" the middle class disappears into the gaping maw of crony capitalism.
u/averageduder (12 pts):
I have expendable income, am I think on the upside of the K, and I see no reason to pay $100 or whatever for a monthly gym membership. I go to the gym every day - I just got back from a shoulder/ baxk workout and an hour of cardio. Would a sauna or swimming be nice? Sure. But not at the cost imo
u/AgileDrag1469 (7 pts):
Went to a high end gym living in Scottsdale, AZ for several years. Individual dues were about $210 a month with a locker. Not even going to tell you what the pre pandemic sign on fee was, that from what I can see post pandemic is being “waived.” Came with a lot of perks though, got to know a lot of people there, but some months, where I really spent heavily on services, it was pretty expensive looking back on it all. Eventually switched to a dedicated yoga studio to compliment running and cycling, eventually dropped the $200 a month yoga studio to a home practice to be as practical as possible, knowing the yoga studio was going to keep increasing in price while the best instructors and practitioners were slowing attriting and replaced by new YTT 200 hour graduates.
u/Limp-Plantain3824 (15 pts):
Lifetime and Planet Fitness have always operated in different market segments.
Calling it “K Shape” is stupid and just an attempt to sound trendy. There’s no news there.