sales associate

test preparation tutor

store manager

chauffeur livreur

retail sales associate

Supplement King

A Job That Takes Everything and Leaves You With Nothing

At first glance, this company seems like a great opportunity especially if you’re driven, organized, and want to grow in the wellness or retail space. But once you’re inside, the truth becomes impossible to ignore. You’re not just hired you’re consumed.

As a full-time employee, you work entirely alone for 8.5 hours a day, five days a week. There are no team members to lean on. No second opinions. No one to step in if you need five minutes to breathe. You’re not just one piece of the operation you are the operation.

You’re responsible for everything: sales, customer service, shipments, receiving, damage reporting, social media, blocking, cleaning, inventory, tech issues, emails, daily operations, on top of being expected to meet sales goals and create a positive customer experience. And that’s still not a full list.

Breaks That Don’t Feel Real, and a System That Sets You Up to Burn Out

On paper, you get a 30-minute unpaid break. In reality? You’ll rarely take it. You have to clock in and out between customer interruptions, stringing together five minutes here, three minutes there just hoping you can eat something or use the washroom uninterrupted.

You’re not allowed to lock the door. You’re not allowed to close the store under any circumstances!!! So if you need to use the bathroom or reset for a moment, you have to hope no one walks in. Most days, you can’t even rely on that.

Perform, But With What Energy? With What Support?

Raises are “performance based,” but performance isn’t actually possible in the way they define it. You’re held to high sales expectations while doing the work of three roles, with no backup and no real tools to support you. You’re told you “could be” a great leader or manager but those promises are vague, and often just a way to keep you invested while your concerns go ignored.

You have to bring up advancement multiple times just to get a conversation. Feedback is delayed, scattered, or passive-aggressive. Expectations shift constantly. And somehow, if you’re not exceeding everything all the time, you’re treated like you’re falling behind.

You’re expected to take on more responsibilities, go above and beyond, act like a leader and yet you’re never compensated fairly, acknowledged consistently, or shown a clear path forward. You’re stuck in limbo.

“Just Stay Positive” While You’re Slowly Breaking Down

One of the most damaging parts of the experience is the culture of toxic positivity. You’re told to “leave your problems at the door,” but upper management is free to express their own stress however they want even if that means being short with you, guilt-tripping you, or projecting blame.

Your mental health isn’t considered. If you’re overwhelmed or struggling, the answer is never support it’s silence, invalidation, or even worse… a suggestion to buy their supplements.

Yes, they will literally encourage you to purchase their brand’s own stress-relief products to help you cope with the stress this job creates.

You’re gaslit into thinking your emotional exhaustion is a personal failure instead of a natural reaction to being overworked and unsupported.

And at times, the disrespect becomes blatant. During a particularly frustrating technical issue that neither I nor another team member could resolve, we overheard a senior manager on speakerphone with another manager  ask, “Are they F-ing stupid?” This wasn’t just insulting. It was demeaning. It showed exactly how they speak about their employees behind closed doors.

High Expectations. Zero Stability. No Safety Net.

The work environment is emotionally draining. You’re constantly being compared to other stores or team members. You’re called out in meetings for underperformance, even when the issue is out of your control. Shipment delays, software malfunctions, understaffing you’re still the one blamed.

As a part-timer, your availability is disregarded. Your schedule will shift without discussion. You’ll have to constantly restate your boundaries, only to be ignored. Weekends get added without warning. Holidays aren’t “mandatory,” but you’re expected to be available anyway. There is no consistency, no real work-life balance just whatever suits the schedule.

And as for communication? It’s slow, scattered, and often unprofessional. They say you don’t have to respond to messages after hours but if you don’t, you risk falling behind or missing crucial updates. It’s not mandatory… but it’s quietly expected.

Recognition Is Conditional, and Loyalty Is One-Way

The moment your sales slip or you stop going above and beyond you’re forgotten. You’re no longer praised. You’re no longer “valuable.” Recognition disappears. Support vanishes. You become just another number.

In my time there, I saw dedicated employees let go with zero notice some just two weeks before the holidays, some with families, some without any explanation at all. They were erased overnight, without the dignity of a conversation or a warning.

And the worst part? Management genuinely believes their own reasoning. There’s no accountability. No self-reflection.

The Final Straw: What This Job Leaves You With

This job will change you and not in the way a job should. You’ll start to question your ability, your confidence, your worth. You’ll feel small for expressing how overwhelmed you are. You’ll be made to believe it’s all in your head. That you are the problem.

But you’re not.

I left this job to protect my mental health, and I don’t regret it for a second.

Final Thought: If You’re Considering This Job…

I’m not sharing this out of bitterness I’m sharing it so that others don’t have to find out the hard way. I wish someone had told me the full truth before I joined.

This company thrives on overextension, blurred boundaries, and quiet compliance. If you value your time, your peace, and your emotional well-being, please think twice.

You deserve better than to be left alone, taken for granted, and tossed aside the moment you stop serving their bottom line.

A typical day at supplement king included either spending your shift counting the same inventory as last week, cleaning a shelf that was cleaned 2-4 days ago, or being coaxed into using your personal vehicle to go to a gym and hand out free samples to members and people who will treat you like your are worth less then the dust on their feet. 

In my year with this company I learned absolutely nothing about fitness or supplements other the basics that can be taught in a youtube video. You are expected to sell product with no backed research in their efficacy and promise customers they will work, the management insists it is more important to make a sale then to actually help a client on their fitness journey. You are offered very minimal hours, even if management hires you with the promise of more. 

The biggest issue with supplement king is their management. We were often expected to meet with management without pay for meetings and webinars about the products, and you would face punishment if you were not willing to work without pay. We were also not permitted to speak about wages because of this, but the wage was laughable, as they expected you to do all your work for minimum wage. 

Micromanagement was constant, as every shift you had to spend the first hour listening to your team lead tell you about all the ways you are not up to standard as a staff member. Meanwhile the team lead would openly speak and brag about how little work they had to do, and were offered the most hours and pawned off their work to the part time staff.

The culture, particularly at the Deerfoot city, Sunridge, Cochrane and Beacon locations is comparable to a High School. It celebrated berating other employees, favouritism and doing anything you could to get a leg up on the other staff. I had witnessed some of the most disrespectful conversations I've ever heard whilst management was in the building, participating in it.

The hardest part about this job was being expected to give everything you have to a company that wouldn't return the favour. You are a number to management, nothing more. I would not recommend this position to anyone who values their time, energy and dignity.


Really fun place to work. The owners are very engaged and supportive. Your tasks are very clear, as long as you hit sales goals and keep the store in good shape you will do just fine. That being said, the pay is not great. Expect minimum wage regardless of your position. Sales associates rarely make more than $15/h, store managers make $16/h, and even the area managers make not much more than $18/h. If you want a raise you have to put in a lot of extra work. I would say the work is worth more than what they pay but I never minded because of how much I enjoyed the work. It is a very fulfilling job with great staff (depending on location) and rarely do you have bad interactions with customers. If you're looking for a chill, fulfilling job without much expectation for pay, this could be the job for you. 

The managers go above and beyond to cover shifts if you need, they accommodate to your schedule needs. They teach you sooo much and you’ll gain so much knowledge. The owners and managers have become close friends of mine over the time of working there long term and mutual respect. They’re wonderful people and managers. You are paid an appropriate amount for what you do. It’s overall a wonderful place to work.

Upper management isn't the greatest, want a lot more out of you then they are willing to pay for. it was discovered after staff talking to each other that people were being unfairly paid for certain positions in relation to people above them. Work life balance is not good at all if you are a store manager or above. you are expected to answer calls without pay.

Great place to work, lots of great knowledge surrounding the fitness industry and supplementation. Culture at the workplace was always great and felt like I was part of the team and wanted to create that culture at my store for staff and customers.

Staff, management and owners are all very welcoming and kind. Gives off a family type culture. Everyone is very respectful and always willing to help in any way possible. Highly recommend working at Supplement King

Great people, good work environment, regular pay.  Stores are kept clean and products are high quality and stored appropriately.  Staff more knowledgeable than most supplement stores.

A typical days work would be quite easy with the occasional "rush hour". I learned a lot about different supplements and how they help/what they can do.

Great place to work if health/fitness and Supplements interest you. Training is great, management treats you well and they are flexible with scheduling.

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