new iPhone4 Battery life drains quickly

So, I recently purchased an i-phone from Verizon. First phone they attempted to set up, had no charge. They want to plug it in and charge it in order to set up my account. NO THANKS, please get another one. get a new phone, go home and charged it to 100% and within a few hours it starts battery starts to drain. Close apps and notifications and same deal. Go back to Verizon, get a new phone and same deal. I do a restore via i-tunes as a new set up, fingers crossed and no luck. Went to the apple store to and they removed an old firmware which was told may be the issue. NO such luck. Using the phone after a 100%, tweeting, some pics, i-tunes and almost down to 30% percent. So, why is this product so crappy? Can't seem to enjoy my 32 GB phone to the full potential. Only have a small handful of apps. Friends have the same phone and can go full day and more without recharging. HELP! Thanks.