An Online Health Store Perfect For Someone Working Within A Budget
Written: Nov 15 '09 (Updated Nov 15 '09)
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
A few years ago after taking this Health & Fitness course at my college I got insanely into nutrition and exercise and supplements--so much so that my girlfriend was (and still is) driven bonkers by my constant nagging for her to take her vitamins and supplements and what have you. The first website I find upon inspection was Vitacost and I have never used another--if it ain't broke don't fix it, eh?
Vitacost is a big sale outlet, online health store much like GNC except that its prices are ridiculously cheap. Specializing in vitamins and supplements as well as sexual health and dietary products to beauty and organics and herbs--this is THE website to be to find what you are looking for as you navigate through the various tabs.
Each product that you are looking for has a ton of information behind it telling you EXACTLY what's in the product you are about to purchase (and ingest). Along with some tips from Vitacost themselves there are also a ton of user reviews from people like you (not untrustworthy testimonial people) telling you whether or not the product worked and their experiences with them. I find these reviews to be remarkably effective before I make a purchase as their experiences shape whether or not I want to take a risk with it.
There are many brands to choose from within the site with some I've heard of, others I haven't, but they highly market the brand that they specialize in: NSI (Neutraceutical Sciences Institute), which makes a little bit of everything on the site. You can opt for the more expensive products or get their product, which gives you more bang for your buck, is less costly, and has more nutrients (in most cases). I've tried other brands in their store, but the NSI stuff is the one I keep renewing.
Let's say you find some really cool stuff you want to purchase. When you make an account with Vitacost you can set it to AutoShip where you can have these products shipped to your place every thirty to one hundred and twenty days (goes up by fifteen day increments). While I haven't used this function being that I'm low on moola, I forget to take my pills sometimes and share my products with my girlfriend, and have a very sloppy schedule, I plan on using this feature in the near future as it's effortless and very convenient.
From Vitacost I buy a diet pill called Tonalin that's about twelve dollars for a container of 120 pills, a fish oil from NSI for about fifteen dollars for a pack of 180 softgels (it's a special Omega-3 Mood Formula--wonderful!), and a pill called Ultra Calcium with Vitamin D, which has a whopping 300 for the excellent price of about thirteen bucks (1,200 mg!). These are the ones I buy regularly, but I have made some impulsive purchases for Gingko Biloba amongst some green tea brands and protein shakes.
Now, this is a lot of stuff! The fish oil and calcium bottles are huge damn things that are pretty heavy. How do I possibly afford the shipping? That's where Vitacost is the best value: Country-wide shipping (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) is a flat rate of five bucks. $5 shipping for whatevery you buy!
I buy a ton of stuff so if my shipping was totally by items or weight I would be screwed. Luckily this flat rate is perfect for my price range as you are saving up to 75% for these products you're buying anyway! That being said, the shipping ridiculously fast for the price with each of my orders coming in within two weeks of purchase. Amazing customer service and handling if you ask me!
The only little thing I can nitpick about this wonderful site is maybe the ease of use of it. I wish there was a way to look at a product and see which other products helped augment it to get the best of the effects. You can view the user reviews, sure, and there are links to what other people have ordered with this specific product, but being there there are health professionals working within the site you'd think they would catalog their database with great alternatives or items to pair with on each page. It's really a minor quibble, but it makes finding some products harder especially given this website's epic amount of products.
Over every other health store I have since checked on the internet, Vitacost has remained a constant with their excellent selection of products offering huge discounts on name brand products, a great clearance page full of awesome deals, and a shipping system that is unbeattable. There aren't any other health stores that offer this type of wonderful service--forget overpriced supplements from mall stores and other online outlets, Vitacost is the best there is.
© Jason Haskins, 2009
A big thank you goes to Meagan and George for helping me find this in the Epinions database and for being so doggone helpful in general! :)
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Ultra Calcium, Omega-3 Fish Oil Mood Formula, Tonalin, Gingko Biloba
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
JiggyJay
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Jason Haskins
Location: Portland, Oregon
Reviews written: 626
Trusted by: 299 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.