By Celeste McLaughlin
If you thought you had to comb the internet to get the absolute lowest price on vitamins, supplements, herbs and natural cosmetics, you’ve missed out on a nearby New Tampa neighborhood store that offers not only the best prices, but also a highly educated staff to answer all of your questions about these products — just a few miles south of Wesley Chapel.
Vitamin Discount Center has its headquarters, warehouse and a retail store in the Cory Lake Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd. President Michael Gore says, “The internet has changed our business, but we know that consumers still like going to stores to get educated.”
Vitamin Discount Center sells herbs and vitamins, sports nutrition (such as protein powders and supplements for performance, recovery and fat burning) products, as well as cosmetics (such as shampoos, conditioners, toothpastes and anti-aging skin care items), as well as vitamins and supplements for prenatal care and children.
“Our supplements taste good and don’t have all the garbage (in them),” says Gore. “If you buy a cheap vitamin at a drug store, it’s not a clean, natural supplement. It will have synthetic binders and fillers, and not just natural ingredients.”
Many people think they don’t need supplements because they have a healthy diet. However, Gore says that no one has the perfect diet, and a lot of the benefit of supplements is preventive.
“If you want to be sure you have vitamin C to prevent colds, you would have to drink an inordinate amount of orange juice to get the same amount of vitamin C (as in a supplement),” he says. “It’s really just not feasible.”
That’s why he and his partners have been committed to top-notch customer service and premier education since the company’s beginning.
Vitamin Discount Center was founded when Gore and his friends Michael Downing and David Conner — who met as fraternity brothers at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1986 — joined Michael’s father Arthur to open the company’s first retail locations in Carrollwood and South Tampa in the summer of 1998, with a third store opening in Brandon later that fall.
The four have continued to work together as owners over the years, as the business has grown exponentially — Vitamin Discount Center now has 10 retail locations throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
In 2008, the partners were ready to open a store in New Tampa and saw an opportunity to expand the company’s corporate headquarters in conjunction with a retail location, so Vitamin Discount Center moved into the Cory Lake center with a store, company offices and a warehouse.
“We felt it was important to have a retail store together with our corporate offices under one roof,” Gore says. “We learn a lot from the people who come into our store, and we get to talk with customers, learn from them and see how things are running every day.”
He says that the New Tampa location is, by far, the company’s smallest retail location, but that doesn’t mean items are hard to find or that the stock is limited.
“Because our warehouse is literally in the same building,” Gore says, “we usually can get a product immediately (from the back) if it’s out of stock in the store.” He adds that in the six years the New Tampa location has been open, the Vitamin Discount Center business has continued to grow, which he attributes to, “our great, educated staff and our commitment to customer service.”
Although it’s typical to have a lot of turnover in a retail staff, Gore notes that many of his employees have been with the company, “for 10 years or more.” The staff at the New Tampa store includes manager Dillon Herrington, Suzan Chin and John Fuller, who has been with the company for 14 years and works at several Vitamin Discount Center locations.
Herrington emphasizes that the New Tampa store is focused on building relationships and serving the people in the community.
“In contrast to many retail stores, our store is not about sales and quotas,” Herrington says. “We have a friendly relationship with our customers and are all about getting them the products they need.”
Low Prices, High Knowledge
“The word ‘Discount’ is part of our name for a reason,” says marketing manager Heather Gallman, who explains that Vitamin Discount Center prices are typically 30, 40 or even 50 percent lower than the regular prices at other stores.
“Because we have 10 stores,” Gallman says, “we order a large volume of products and are able to pass those savings on to our customers.”
Gore adds, “If you compare prices on our products, we will be cheaper than every local store and as good or better than the prices you’ll find on the internet. Plus, our customers take their products home the same day and don’t pay shipping charges.”
The stores offer additional savings if you join Vitamin Discount Center’s mailing list and receive coupons in the mail (or use the coupon found in their ad on page 15 to take $5 off a purchase of $25 or more). The stores also offer everyday savings of 10-percent-off to USF students and active and veteran military personnel, law enforcement, fire fighters and EMTs.
While he’s committed to offering the lowest possible prices, Gore emphasizes that the real value in shopping at Vitamin Discount Center is the way its staff is educated. “Twice a year, we hold a vendor partner conference, where the companies that make the products sold at Vitamin Discount Center come to Tampa from all over the U.S. — and even Canada — for the sole purpose of educating our staff,” he says, adding that all of the stores host monthly events with industry experts to give the staff a valuable edge with first-hand knowledge about the products they sell. “Our customers can trust the information they receive from our staff.”
And, Gore also encourages people to educate themselves, too. He recommends a nationally syndicated radio show that is based out of Tampa, called “Let’s Talk Nutrition.” It’s aired on WHNZ-AM 1250 every weekday, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Another reason you can trust the store is that Vitamin Discount Center’s shelves are stocked with products that have been personally researched by Gore. He has toured manufacturing facilities, developed relationships with many vendors and will only sell products that he feels comfortable using and giving to his own family. His staff says they have pulled items off their shelves in the past when questions about their quality have been raised.
“We always do our due diligence,” Michael says. “The companies we partner with are those we know and trust. We won’t sell products in our stores if there’s any question about their quality or safety.”
When Joe Greene (not the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer) retired last August, he and his wife Patti moved to West Meadows. While driving down Cross Creek Blvd., he saw the sign for Vitamin Discount Center and decided to check it out.
“The first day I stumbled in there, without a recommendation from anyone, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” says Joe. “I talked with Dillon and Suzan, and they were so unbelievably helpful and knowledgeable. I’m a skeptic, but they always tell me the science behind their products and even show me the scientific journals. I can’t speak highly enough about Dillon and Suzan, because they have been so amazingly helpful to me.”
Joe explains that he is a cancer survivor and has had two heart surgeries, but thanks to an aggressive vitamin and supplement regimen, he is currently taking no medications and is doing great. He says he continues to shop at Vitamin Discount Center for multivitamins, anti-inflammatory supplements, whey protein and a variety of herbs, such as ginger, because they have the best prices on top-quality products.
“I’m retired, so I’ve shopped around,” says Joe. “I’ve been everywhere in a 10-mile radius of my house and they always have the best prices.”
The staffers at Vitamin Discount Center truly see themselves as part of the community and they often participate in health fairs and other community events. They recently participated in a health fair at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (located off Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd.) and at the Arbor Greene community clubhouse off Cross Creek Blvd. They also recently spoke to employees at a company that invited them to teach about stress at work and preparing for the cold and flu season, which runs from October through May. This gives them an opportunity to share their expertise and samples with local residents.
“We are part of this community and absolutely support the people and businesses of the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area and all of the other communities where our stores are located,” says Gore, who lives in Tampa Palms with his wife, Marlena, and two sons who are 16 and 13. He adds that he and his family members all take their supplements every day.
The New Tampa Vitamin Discount Center is located at 10359 Cross Creek Blvd. in the Cory Lake Professional Center. The shop is open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. -7 p.m. and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday. Looking for something in particular? Call the store at 991-7769 or visit ForLifeForLess.com. And, get $5 off a purchase of $25 or more with the coupon on page 15.
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