His manager may want him to shift people to the more expensive options or those that provide the biggest markup

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Don't go to GNC they suck eggs. Order online or find a better store. You're right the guy at GNC is wrong. But you don't really need to load the creatine mono. It just means that you reach the saturation point faster. It also means you're going to have a lot more bloating and muscle cramping and shit like that especially when you are new to it.
If you piss creatine away it either means you are taking too much, you don't have a carrier (in the case of mono) or you are a "non-responder". Creatine mono works just fine for most people. CEE (creatine ethyl ester) is another good choice that is affordable and convenient. Either one really is fine. There is a good creatine FAQ in the nutrition articles section.