The Vitamin Shoppe

Want to get swol? This is currently the only legit place in Charlottesville where you can get the proper sups and where you have a great selection. GNC is pure hype, get over it, move on, get real. Best selection of protein powders anywhere, lots of items on sale, discounts on bulk quantities, awesome.

I’ve been shopping with The Vitamin Shoppe for over 15 years, starting when I lived up north. When I moved down to Cville, I had to order from their Web site, but then they finally opened a store here in town. I prefer to shop in person for vitamins and supplements so I can more easily compare them.
They have a huge selection on their Web site, and an impressive selection in the store. If they don’t have in store what you saw on the site, they’ll order it for you. The prices can sometimes be different depending on sales, but they do a lot of sales. I often buy their brand for supplements and vitamins, but if you ask for advice, they don’t automatically point you to their brand, which I appreciate. The staff are very friendly and helpful and have helped me many times figure out what to get.
Their prices are considerably less than GNC and their selection beats everyone else in town. They have a large section for protein bars (including vegan and gluten-​free), and you can buy just one to taste them before committing to a whole box. They also stock a lot of muscle-​building protein powders and homeopathics.
They have a rewards program that gives you so many dollars off each year based on how much you spent, but I feel like they could give more than they do. They also have a bad habit of mailing me a coupon to save me $ 10 off $ 75 right after I’ve spent about that much and don’t need to again for a while! The sales kinda make up for it, though.