The closing of ProShops

[nev25]

I recently learned that a lot of centres are closing there proshops and pose the question WHY???

Surely for bowling to survive we need these proshops in centres.

Am I to assume that this Is a big step to pushing bowling in the direction of a recreational pastime not a sport.

I know there has been a lot of concern about the price of balls in a proshop compared to buying them elsewhere but proshops need to sell more than balls.
What about fitting and drilling etc??


Are they not profitably even tho IMO that shouldn't matter as its a service local for the bowler??

Any thoughts????

 

[Toon]

I think the prices got too high, and bowlers just started ordering from interstate and getting a good local driller to do it. Or there are a lot of quality drillers running there own shops with much lower prices than the allies. Also the quality of the drilling I think is better.

Just so happens the 4 best ball drillers I can think of seem to run there own proshops. I think....

Brenton Davy
Jason Doust
Cheryl Munson
Brando

 

[bomber_comfort]

I think that some of the AMF pro shops and local ones that are left think we are all stupid with the cost of things. The cost of balls are just crazy. Why would you bother paying $290 or more for a $200 ball or even less. They also want to charge a fortune to do anything to a ball, want to charge a fortune to drill a ball if you dont buy it there to punish you. Want to charge big money for resurfacing or bleeds and cleans compaired to what we should be paying. So people go elsewhere and they don't make any money. Then they scratch there heads and wonder why....

Want to get a ball drilled oh well our ball driller is only on for 2 hours two nights a week or something stupid and during that time he is also the tech that has to run down the back to fix lanes when something goes wrong.... its just crazyness it really is..

Half the time the ball drillers don't have time to watch you bowl to get your pap etc and see what you need and how you bowl, they just read something and drill it up. Oh we will just get your pap from looking at the track on your other balls.... ummm this is ok if the bowler knows what they are doing and what they want, but what if they don't?

There are very few good pro shops left here in South east QLD for example.... all the ones I use are now privately owned. Thats the only good ones left

 

[Phluff]

They also want to charge a fortune to do anything to a ball, want to charge a fortune to drill a ball if you dont buy it there to punish you. Want to charge big money for resurfacing or bleeds and cleans compaired to what we should be paying. So people go elsewhere and they don't make any money. Then they scratch there heads and wonder why....

Want to get a ball drilled oh well our ball driller is only on for 2 hours two nights a week or something stupid and during that time he is also the tech that has to run down the back to fix lanes when something goes wrong.... its just crazyness it really is..

Half the time the ball drillers don't have time to watch you bowl to get your pap etc and see what you need and how you bowl, they just read something and drill it up. Oh we will just get your pap from looking at the track on your other balls.... ummm this is ok if the bowler knows what they are doing and what they want, but what if they don't?

And that right there is the problem. Too many people think like this. Pro shops SHOULD be charging double to drill a ball bought elsewhere, they should be charging decent prices for all the other stuff as well.
You say they "want to charge a fortune" up top, then you complain that they don't have the time to watch you bowl and find the pap and aren't available all the time. You can't have it both ways! If you want the knowledgable guys to stay running thier shops then you need to pay them the value of their time and services.

People save money by getting a ball from overseas then expect the pro shop to drill it for the same price as one sold in store, effectivley asking the guy to give you half his profit, then wonder why he's had to sell up and get a job stocking shelves at Coles.

 

[magpi17]

If you need a new ball and want it drilled properly and also want the driller to watch so he can compliment that drill then book him for 2 hours so he can assist you, this will of course cost a bit but would it be worth it to walk away happy knowing the driller and yourself have an agreed position on things, remember that the next ball you buy from him will be cheaper because he will record your details.
If you want to hire a tradesman to work for you do you get a licensed tradie or the handyman to do the job properly?
I am not saying the guys that drill from home can't do the job as in the majority they can but the overheads of running a pro shop are put of reach of most and this is why they have other jobs.

 

[bomber_comfort]

And that right there is the problem. Too many people think like this. Pro shops SHOULD be charging double to drill a ball bought elsewhere, they should be charging decent prices for all the other stuff as well.
You say they "want to charge a fortune" up top, then you complain that they don't have the time to watch you bowl and find the pap and aren't available all the time. You can't have it both ways! If you want the knowledgable guys to stay running thier shops then you need to pay them the value of their time and services.

People save money by getting a ball from overseas then expect the pro shop to drill it for the same price as one sold in store, effectivley asking the guy to give you half his profit, then wonder why he's had to sell up and get a job stocking shelves at Coles.

I do not mean any disrespect, even more so if you own a pro shop. I do not know your exact pro shop. I am just speaking from my experience.
But I think on this you are either wrong or misunderstood what I was saying. Here is a more detailed example. Lets say you want to buy a new top of the line ball at the moment. Say a Virtual Gravity Nano or Vivid… but any high performance ball when they just came out. They best out there. At some pro shops you can buy them for say $230 $240 range. With the AUD dollar the way it is at the moment that is quite fair. I could even get this online from these same pro shops in some instances. If I want it delivered I pay the postage.
Now if I really wanted to I could get this even cheaper from over in America from a bowling site. Say in the $190 range or cheaper if I buy a few balls and save on postage. I would say most of the time people will go stuff it and buy the ball from the Aussie Pro shop for $230 for a variety of reasons including I want it now and don’t want to have to wait to get it from America. I would get this ball drilled by a great ball driller for say $70- 80 inclusive of thumb slug and lifters.
There pro shops will survive cause they do what we all want from a pro shop.
Then you get what I call the AMF pro shops. But they do not have to be in an AMF centre.
For that same High performance ball you will see them in the window for $350+ most things are say 30% or more higher than the good pro shops I mentioned above. And 50% or more above online/America. You go into this pro shop and want a ball drilled that you did not buy there. They charge $80 cause you did not buy the ball there, then the normal drilling fee say $45, then $10 for thumb slug or more and say $5 a lifter…. Oh come on you are just not competitive on price so why go there?
How cost effective do you think the expensive driller pro shop is when you get a ball given to you or you want it redrilled in a new position or you purchased a second hand ball? Why pay double or triple the amount to get a ball drilled than I paid for the ball?
Once again no disrespect, I am sure you are a great guy.

I could understand the extra price for time if I had no idea what I was doing and thus you had to watch me bowl, measure me up etc etc, lots of time and effort. But most experienced bowlers will tell the driller how they want it drilled, all the measurements, pap everything. They just want to do something quick and easy with minimum fuss but not have to be charged a fortune. If they charged a cheaper rate for this than I would agree but most of the time its one size fits all....

Btw I am not here for a fight or a mud slinging match.... I am just trying to give a point

 

[Phluff]

Fair enough, didn't mean to single you out For the record I don't run a pro shop but I've seen first hand what they go through.

And yes, some shops still have insane prices of $380 + drilling/inserts where you can buy the ball online for $180. One thing to keep in mind tho is that unless they are importing themselves, they are reliant on distributor prices which can be up to and above the $260 mark.

My point is more to do with the "extras" costs... drilling, resurfacing, plugging etc. If a pro shop charges $80 for drilling inclusive of slugs/inserts, it should be $150 inclusive for a ball bought out of shop. Most places do and always have undervalued thier work and basically given it away in the past because they made their cut on a ball. Now they need to look at what they are giving for the service and charge accordingly.

 

[Russo]

brother in law was logged in

 

[rychenroller]

And that right there is the problem. Too many people think like this. Pro shops SHOULD be charging double to drill a ball bought elsewhere, they should be charging decent prices for all the other stuff as well.
You say they "want to charge a fortune" up top, then you complain that they don't have the time to watch you bowl and find the pap and aren't available all the time. You can't have it both ways! If you want the knowledgable guys to stay running thier shops then you need to pay them the value of their time and services.

People save money by getting a ball from overseas then expect the pro shop to drill it for the same price as one sold in store, effectivley asking the guy to give you half his profit, then wonder why he's had to sell up and get a job stocking shelves at Coles.

Great post, from my experience as a ball driller, this is the conundrum. I can give you my time but of course you are going to pay for it, because I work from within the bowl. Also dont be fooled, we can get you a ball at a decent price, drilling and accessories included...and a quality drill as well. But if you bring a ball in bought off the internet, we have to protect our business! 90% of the time this is what happens...bowler X gets his ball landed from interstate or overseas for $200. Comes to me and asks to have it drilled. In the end it costs him something like $280...$80 is the drill price including a thumb slug and finger inserts. What bowler X doesnt realise is that we might charge them $280 for the ball and drilling, all inclusive! Thats the way the world works. You have to pay someone with the expertise to do the job properly for you.

Things like finding axis tilt, rpm, axis rotation etc are very time consuming also, but if you want the job done properly...you gotta pay :/

 

[John_Velo]

This really is a very old story raised again and again. Probably four or five time in the last 12 months I believe and the same thing is raised every time.

I know that if I call the plumber or the mechanic they will charge me for their time, I am ok with that.

There would probably be more money in it for the proshop to say, bring in your ball and we will drill. Charge $50 to 60 an hour plus materials. Then they don’t need to carry stock and pay rent on the shelf space reducing the profit margins by the week.

Make their money on their time rather than adding their time into the price of the ball that they had to buy from a local distributor that is also making a cut. Probably a bigger cut than the pro-shop owner as they have larger volumes for bigger discounts.

Maybe the proshop should just keep the plastics that a social bowler might buy. Maybe make the most of the $1000 gst free zone for personal imports that the rest of us do, thanks to the previous federal government I believe for that rule, and get in what their elite centre bowlers want.

Proshop can only stay open if they can make some money. Paying a middle man and rent for a shelf full of stock does not equal profit when they are also expected to give away their time.

They need to eat too.

 

[nev25]

Wasn't really the direction I was heading with this

My concern is that without Pro Shops no matter where you buy your ball there will soon be no where to have it drilled??

So buying a ball seems useless unless it can be drilled somewhere
Sure there are people doing this from there homes but you still need time to go throw a few down
to make sure it fits find you PAP etc.

As I said

I Am I to assume that this Is a big step to pushing bowling in the direction of a recreational pastime not a sport.