Proshop future......

[crony022]

I have been doing balls for about two years now and I have built a good customer relationship. The problem that I find is that even though I give people a break on drilling costs they still shop elsewhere for shoes and bags. I just cannot beat the prices on bags & shoes that are online. Even though my prices are still cheaper that anyone else people still have the Wal-Mart mentality. I don't get to upset over it because the shop is my more a hobby than my first income. However there are many proshops suffering from my problem. They have to charge big drilling prices to make up for the losses on bags and shoes. You have to remember that for most shop owners their business is their life. The root of the problem is the ball companies. They sell high quantities of balls/bags/shoes to online bowling sales companies for deep discounts. In turn these online jobbers undercut retail prices just to turn out profits. The ball/shoe companies are screwing shop owners who keep bowling alive. Without a ball driller you can't bowl! Honestly why would I bother to sell a pair of SST's if I can only buy them from my wholesaler for $5 less than bowling.com

On another note bowling companies are making too many balls. Instead of making a lot of junk balls why don't they concentrate more on making balls that work? Many of my customers complain that their ball doesn't work but it fits great. Balls are discontinued about every 3-6 months now.

I currently feel that Hammer/Ebonite is making the best equipment right now. I own every ball in the RAW series. I had a NoMercy and Black Widow but they did not out perform the RAW balls. Keep it simple don't make a ton of changes if stuff works. Remember AMF! They were great once then they started changing everything and they went down the drain. AMF used to be one of the biggest names in bowling. I could be wrong about the things I said but this is my experience over 30+ years in the game. Checkout my site, I think you'll like it.

www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs

[Gryndryno]

I have been doing balls for about two years now and I have built a good customer relationship. The problem that I find is that even though I give people a break on drilling costs they still shop elsewhere for shoes and bags. I just cannot beat the prices on bags & shoes that are online. Even though my prices are still cheaper that anyone else people still have the Wal-Mart mentality. I don't get to upset over it because the shop is my more a hobby than my first income. However there are many proshops suffering from my problem. They have to charge big drilling prices to make up for the losses on bags and shoes. You have to remember that for most shop owners their business is their life. The root of the problem is the ball companies. They sell high quantities of balls/bags/shoes to online bowling sales companies for deep discounts. In turn these online jobbers undercut retail prices just to turn out profits. The ball/shoe companies are screwing shop owners who keep bowling alive. Without a ball driller you can't bowl! Honestly why would I bother to sell a pair of SST's if I can only buy them from my wholesaler for $5 less than bowling.com

On another note bowling companies are making too many balls. Instead of making a lot of junk balls why don't they concentrate more on making balls that work? Many of my customers complain that their ball doesn't work but it fits great. Balls are discontinued about every 3-6 months now.

I currently feel that Hammer/Ebonite is making the best equipment right now. I own every ball in the RAW series. I had a NoMercy and Black Widow but they did not out perform the RAW balls. Keep it simple don't make a ton of changes if stuff works. Remember AMF! They were great once then they started changing everything and they went down the drain. AMF used to be one of the biggest names in bowling. I could be wrong about the things I said but this is my experience over 30+ years in the game. Checkout my site, I think you'll like it.

www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs


I understand where you are coming from, and you are 100% correct as far as the source of the problem. It is tough from this end though when you can get a 3 ball roller (ball boy III) online for $125 and my buddy from the proshop can't do any better than $175, I would rather spend that $50 with him to get one of the blanks I have here drilled up. It isn't his fault, I went ahead and bought the bag for $175 as I do value his work in other areas, is a great guy. Shoes are much the same way. I wish that the wholesalers wouldn't give such massive discounts, but they are set up to turn a profit, the only way to help the proshops would be to get rid of the middleman who is creating such a varience in pricing.


Many pro shops though suffer from the "you need me more than I need you" mentality which is completely false and turns off more people than they know. It is one of the main reasons 80% of the shops are dropping in sales.

[Crusher279757]

I love to support my proshop because it is the only good one around out of 3 or 4 in the area.

[JohnC]

Honestly why would I bother to sell a pair of SST's if I can only buy them from my wholesaler for $5 less than bowling.com
My brother is in a different business but he faces the same problem sometimes. Just curious If I was your customer. How much would you charge me for a Toxic . Drilled Fingertip grip with inserts?

[crony022]

$155 two finger inserts included.

[dw800seeker]

I totally see how the future of bowling depends on having local proshops being profitable. It still comes down to an economics thing. I do not mind paying $200 if it includes drilling. At my local proshop drilling is on top of the high price, therefore, I have to go elsewhere.

However, it does seem that the prices of balls have been coming down lately at the proshop. If it is a difference between 130 online and 160 at my proshop I will go proshop. Any difference greater than that and unfortunately it is online.

[grayfin68]

I hope you and other pro shop guys can figure out a better way to make a profit because the difference in prices from online retailers to pro shops are not a matter of just a few dollars.

If pro shop prices were only slightly higher than online, I'd continue to buy stuff from them, but I got a pair of Dexter SST5 Sport shoes on Ebay from an online store for $49 plus s&h. The pro shop (on a Navy base, which is usually cheaper than most pro shops) wants over $100 for the same exact shoes. That's over $50 on a pair of shoes. I'm sorry, but that's way too much of a disparity for me.

The manager of the lanes knows I'm interested in a four ball inline roller, and I'm probably going to get the Hammer one. He flat out told me I'd be better off ordering online because of the HUGE price disparity.

There's not as much of a disparity in ball prices when you factor in free drilling when purchased at the shop vice online. So, I buy most of my balls from the shop, unless the disparity is ridiculous like with my shoes.

Pro shops should charge more for drilling when the ball is not purchased from them. Another thing you and other pro shops could consider is to start an online business on the side and sell on Ebay. Then you could get discounts on quantity and pass some savings on to your local customers.


I have been doing balls for about two years now and I have built a good customer relationship. The problem that I find is that even though I give people a break on drilling costs they still shop elsewhere for shoes and bags. I just cannot beat the prices on bags & shoes that are online. Even though my prices are still cheaper that anyone else people still have the Wal-Mart mentality. I don't get to upset over it because the shop is my more a hobby than my first income. However there are many proshops suffering from my problem. They have to charge big drilling prices to make up for the losses on bags and shoes. You have to remember that for most shop owners their business is their life. The root of the problem is the ball companies. They sell high quantities of balls/bags/shoes to online bowling sales companies for deep discounts. In turn these online jobbers undercut retail prices just to turn out profits. The ball/shoe companies are screwing shop owners who keep bowling alive. Without a ball driller you can't bowl! Honestly why would I bother to sell a pair of SST's if I can only buy them from my wholesaler for $5 less than bowling.com

On another note bowling companies are making too many balls. Instead of making a lot of junk balls why don't they concentrate more on making balls that work? Many of my customers complain that their ball doesn't work but it fits great. Balls are discontinued about every 3-6 months now.

I currently feel that Hammer/Ebonite is making the best equipment right now. I own every ball in the RAW series. I had a NoMercy and Black Widow but they did not out perform the RAW balls. Keep it simple don't make a ton of changes if stuff works. Remember AMF! They were great once then they started changing everything and they went down the drain. AMF used to be one of the biggest names in bowling. I could be wrong about the things I said but this is my experience over 30+ years in the game. Checkout my site, I think you'll like it.

www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs (http://www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs)

[pba6285]

For the person that askes how much for the toxic. If you bowl in the center where my shop is you would pay 145.95+ tax for a toxic with grips and a thumb insert or thumb slug. Don't bowl league in my center the price goes to 164.17 + Tax

For the person that bought the shoes on line vs the shop at the navy base, Yes $ 50.00 is alot of $ but what happens if something happens to the shoes. Who is going to do the warranty on the shoes. Good luck trying to deal with dexter direct. Now If you deal with the online retailer you are going to have to pay the shipping back and wait to see if they are going to warranty the shoes and you are going to be without a pair of shoes for a week or 2.

[Fizziii]

The pro-shop I use gives discounts if you're on a league, and discounts if you're a good customer.

I bought my Doom for 188ish out the door (taxes, drilling, finger plugs & slug). 2 weeks later I bought my black widow for 176ish out the door (taxes, drilling, finger plugs & slug).

You can get things cheaper, you just have to be a good customer and a league bowler. If you only rarely visit the shop, then you probably would save money on things buying online, but I like my proshop.

[MessiahsHammer]

The pro-shop I use gives discounts if you're on a league, and discounts if you're a good customer.

I bought my Doom for 188ish out the door (taxes, drilling, finger plugs & slug). 2 weeks later I bought my black widow for 176ish out the door (taxes, drilling, finger plugs & slug).

You can get things cheaper, you just have to be a good customer and a league bowler. If you only rarely visit the shop, then you probably would save money on things buying online, but I like my proshop.

I use to buy from online but like stated here I was only saving $30 dollars after the drilling... So personally I dont buy online unless its shoes or a bag... But I did get my girl a ball for $34 dollars online with drilling it will be $35 more for a total $69 my proshop for the same ball is selling it with drilling for $129.99 thats a $60 dollar saving and thats alot of money... As for the shoes and bag I can order them online for $50-100 difference and why in gods name would anyone want to pay more than that... As for the warranty question with that much difference I wouldnt mind paying the 8 dollars shipping back and waita couple of weeks or even just buy a new one... I understand its a business and they have to make money but if you can get something $50-100 cheaper then why would you not take that chance... I hear this complaint alot, but its simple if you want to make more profit then make the balls and bags and shoes cheaper so you sell more of them instead of trying to make your profit in one sale...

[Fizziii]

Let's not forget the one thing that the internet will never be able to provide.... Instant gratification!

[BradM]

Instant gratification!


............................... never mind.:D

[technik]

............................... never mind.:D

i have to 2nd Brad, there's plenty of instant gratification in the net..
example: im ecstatic when i bumped someone and win the auction at the last few seconds. :D

back to topic: i have to agree with grayfin. proshops have to follow where business is. right now, net is where the money is.

there are a few proshops/owners in ebay selling their new and used stuff including services like ball drilling, inserts, slugs.

for instance: i was looking to buy my Tuff.
my proshop said they dont have it but he can order for me for $70 plus drilling and inserts and it will take at least 1 week to order and get the ball.
if i buy the ball from other places, drilling plus inserts will be $60.

i googled and found an online store:
new Tuff $45 plus $20 drilling with 2 finger inserts.
i ordered giving them my finger specs for drilling and in 5 days i got it ready to roll out of the box and it's easy on the pocket for $65 + $11 shipping.

[TenPinSniper]

Think it hurts when on-line store can buy in bulk from manufacture, when most proshop in alley's, don't have room for say 80 balls. Can most even sale 80 of the same ball, if thats a requirement to get the deal. ;) My guess is that shoes and bags are the samething happening.

[Lightning1]

I really feel for the struggles of the pro shops.....internet competition in the sales arena is good for the consumer but bad for a person trying to make a living....

I think that most of the good pro-shops with resources will start to develop an on-line strategy to boost sales, but in the short term, it's going to be difficult at best.

Consumer pros - low prices

Consumer cons - inaccuracy in products delivered, inability or impairement getting warranty products covered, rely on word of mouth to make purchases, occasional bad experiences

I personally like to use my pro-shop for equipment purchases unless I find a product at such a low price as to force a purchase on-line. I am a big on line purchaser for everything from household items to work items and see that bowling is an extension of that. I will buy items on line which I know will work for me (rollers, accessories, shoes - if I already own a pair that I am purchasing to replace, etc.)

I am seeing a rather large discrepancy in drilling charges for balls purchased online - $65 to get my Blue Vibe drilled - it was an x-out for $43 new online - as compared to the charges the pro-shop writes into a ball purchase $189 out the door for a BW. Purchasing balls on-line may give you a deep discount on the price of the ball, but the pro-shops make up for that by setting competitive prices for drilling services. In my area, there is one really good pro-shop and 3 questionable ones and you get what you pay for.

I think that pro-shops should embrace the online phenom to attract more business in their areas....It can be a win-win situation for everyone with effort and foresight

BTW - I also feel that we should have laws that limit deep discounts for volume purchases to help the small businesses, that make America what it is, survive....The Wal-Mart philosophy of doing business is killing American entrepreneurial spirit....

[grayfin68]

If I can get a pair of shoes for less than half of the price and they are good quality Dexters, then I'm not really concerned about a warranty. I can buy another pair and still be ahead. The pro shop on base offers no discounts for league bowlers, but is reasonable on balls because they drill for free when you buy there and the inserts and slugs aren't that expensive.

I don't mind spending a few extra dollars for good service, but when you're talking larger amounts of money, I'll go the cheaper route. A four ball roller is almost $100 more than I can get one online for.

For the person that askes how much for the toxic. If you bowl in the center where my shop is you would pay 145.95+ tax for a toxic with grips and a thumb insert or thumb slug. Don't bowl league in my center the price goes to 164.17 + Tax

For the person that bought the shoes on line vs the shop at the navy base, Yes $ 50.00 is alot of $ but what happens if something happens to the shoes. Who is going to do the warranty on the shoes. Good luck trying to deal with dexter direct. Now If you deal with the online retailer you are going to have to pay the shipping back and wait to see if they are going to warranty the shoes and you are going to be without a pair of shoes for a week or 2.

[Rowdy]

Crony-You said it yourself.Your shop is more like a hobby to you.I'm sick and tired of trying to get ANYTHING from most pro shops.From a bag of rosin to a Black Widow.It's like you guys won't even let us in at all unless we know the secret handshake or are the member of some clique you belong to.And heaven forbid if I want you to drill my just purchased from you ball in a way that you "don't think is right for my game"!I don't want the same old,same old.I'm drilling it different to get BETTER!And where did some of you and your buddies find your work ethic?These are the actual hours of a pro shop I saw last week:Sunday-Closed.Monday 8am-11am.Tuesday 3pm-10pm.Wedensday 11am-1pm.Thursday 9am-3pm.Friday8am-Noon.Saturday2pm-4pm.Sun,Wed,Fri and Sat this house has really nice leagues.Big turnouts.Is the proshop open during these league times?Hahahahahahaha!!!!!Not a chance!But the guy who runs it is bitching about no business!Wonder why.By the way,want that newly purchased from the pro shop Big Hooker Zilla ball drilled???3 week backup!YOU wouldn't do business with folks who treated YOU that way,WHY should WE do business with the likes of YOU?????????:mad:

[dw800seeker]

I am hoping one of our bowling shop friends will put together a 3 ball deal for the Anger, Pearl and Beat'n.:D Well, at least a 2 ball deal.

Rowdy: Stop attacking our bowling shop friends.

I do wonder what the future of bowling proshops will be. Having just come back from the optometrist I can think of eventually making an appointment with a drilloligist. Basically, you pay $50.00 and get your hand professionally measured and your PAP, speed, revs and high/med/low track determined. Then you get a prescription.

Then, you take your prescription to the internet and order up a drilled ball that fits your prescription. Then, a week or two later you get a ball in the mail that fits your hand and your game perfectly.

If that actually existed, it would be a better system than I currently use. I have never been evaluated for revs or speed. As far as PAP goes, my driller did evaluate that for me recently, but, after many a ball has been drilled without that information.

Drilling as it now exists, or as I have experienced it, is more an art than a science. Some drillers seem to be better than others and I am not sure why that is.

[technik]

I am hoping one of our bowling shop friends will put together a 3 ball deal for the Anger, Pearl and Beat'n.:D Well, at least a 2 ball deal.

I do wonder what the future of bowling proshops will be. Having just come back from the optometrist I can think of eventually making an appointment with a drilloligist. Basically, you pay $50.00 and get your hand professionally measured and your PAP, speed, revs and high/med/low track determined. Then you get a prescription.

Then, you take your prescription to the internet and order up a drilled ball that fits your prescription. Then, a week or two later you get a ball in the mail that fits your hand and your game perfectly.

Drilling as it now exists, or as I have experienced it, is more an art than a science. Some drillers seem to be better than others and I am not sure why that is.

this is precisely what i did.
when i bought my No Mercy, i have all the hand specs measured and my PAP taken.
then i bought Tuff online with drilling and inserts and i emailed my PAP and hand specs. fast and way cheaper, ball was ready to roll out of the box :D

however, right now, there's only a handful that include drilling.
we do need more proshops and ball drillers to offer this service; the more there are, the more competition and cheaper for us consumers :D

[Gryndryno]

What pro shops should do is band together and take their combined buying power to the wholesaler. That is the problem, these mamoth online sites take a $250,000 check to the wholesalers and say "give me a fastastic price or I will go to wholesaler B" etc and they get their fantastic price, so much so that our local proshop sometimes can't buy a ball for much less than the online site is selling it for.

If they came up with a non-profit org that only helped to compile the buying ability of a number of $60k-100k proshops, all would win.

[SplitMaster]

As a consumer....I think what it amounts to...is price...where can I get it the cheapest.....thats the bottom line.....now me..either way I dont care..if I see a ball online I want..I buy it....if Im bowling and there is one at the proshop I want...I buy it....but most comsumers are looking for a cheaper price....now I do understand the mass ordering equals mass discounts for online proshops....but....they started the same place the little man is sitting at right now...so to the proshops that complain.....git-r-done...get online and open it up...more power to ya...and for the proshop guy that wants to charge me more to drill a ball because I didnt buy my ball from him...HAHA...piss on him..I'll go elsewhere and he just lost out on drilling money....thats stupid....be happy Im giving you business..it isnt my fault that the internet happened....dont take your electricity bill not getting paid out on me....Im trying to help ya out by bringing you my ball to drill to make money....but like I said...open up online....get more business going from all over......like the rest of the big boys do

[Rowdy]

DW-I wasn't attacking our pro shop friends,I was coming down on the "pro shop case jockeys".You know the type,he's leaning on a display case full of junk that went out of style 5 years ago.Won't sell me what I NEED,will only sell me what HE thinks I should have.BTW-I DO support my pro shop.The Black Widow,the Bud Viz,the Brunswick Classics on my feet,the rosin bag,the easy slide.the see-saw(do I need to keep going?)ALL CAME OUT OF THE PRO SHOP!!!!PLUS everything my wife has.The only thing I didn't buy from him was my bag.HE told me where to get it at the best price!!!This guy KNOWS my game,if he's walking by and sees something not right,he'll walk up and give a friendly reminder.When he drilled the Black Widow he drilled it as stong as was legal.Went 194 and then ran off 10 strikes in a row for a 289!That's the second game out of the box!!I want to see anyone do that with an all-internet ball.I belive his help has been worth about 25 to 30 pins a game!So,DW,I don't knock our friends,but God help our enemies!I WILL come down HARD on them every time!

[can-ham]

I have been doing balls for about two years now and I have built a good customer relationship. The problem that I find is that even though I give people a break on drilling costs they still shop elsewhere for shoes and bags. I just cannot beat the prices on bags & shoes that are online. Even though my prices are still cheaper that anyone else people still have the Wal-Mart mentality. I don't get to upset over it because the shop is my more a hobby than my first income. However there are many proshops suffering from my problem. They have to charge big drilling prices to make up for the losses on bags and shoes. You have to remember that for most shop owners their business is their life. The root of the problem is the ball companies. They sell high quantities of balls/bags/shoes to online bowling sales companies for deep discounts. In turn these online jobbers undercut retail prices just to turn out profits. The ball/shoe companies are screwing shop owners who keep bowling alive. Without a ball driller you can't bowl! Honestly why would I bother to sell a pair of SST's if I can only buy them from my wholesaler for $5 less than bowling.com

On another note bowling companies are making too many balls. Instead of making a lot of junk balls why don't they concentrate more on making balls that work? Many of my customers complain that their ball doesn't work but it fits great. Balls are discontinued about every 3-6 months now.

I currently feel that Hammer/Ebonite is making the best equipment right now. I own every ball in the RAW series. I had a NoMercy and Black Widow but they did not out perform the RAW balls. Keep it simple don't make a ton of changes if stuff works. Remember AMF! They were great once then they started changing everything and they went down the drain. AMF used to be one of the biggest names in bowling. I could be wrong about the things I said but this is my experience over 30+ years in the game. Checkout my site, I think you'll like it.

www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs (http://www.leaguelineup.com/minisinkthurs)


This is a great post, just wanted to bump it to hope some of the Christmas shoppers support their local proshop.

http://www.xcel.on.ca/web_pics/22296.jpg

[icawn]

this is a very interesting thread good bump.

my local (the only) proshop owner seemed to be excited that i brought him a ball to drill. but he turned into a pushy bully with an attitude after i told him i bought my ball off ebay, used even! the drilling was not to my comfort, and he just gave me static. his attitude makes AMF look bad as well. charged me $52 with drilling and inserts. i should of carried my ball out to my garage and done my own drilling..

i just brought the ball to another proshop in another city and told this guy about how horrible the other proshop was. this guy seemed to take more time measuring my hand and going over the mistakes the previous owner did to the ball drilling. he could easily see how the other proshop just rushed my drilling. he didn't care that i bought it off the internet.


the lesson is..you can't stop people from buying from the internet. if someone buy's a ball from the internet, and you, as proshop owner, give them static, you've just lost a customer and made matters worse for yourself. that customer will never bring another ball to you again, and they will never even consider buying retail from you. i will never give another dime to my local proshop who gave me the brush off.

oh and another tip for proshop owners.. it is in your best interest not to perform drillings DURING the league you play in. it's a complete turnoff to your customers when you dash away to bowl your turn, thus rushing your customer's wishes, and performing a less than best drilling. stop worrying about getting in those quick $55 drillings during your league. if you do a shitty job, you're screwing yourself out of future business. wait until before or after your leagues.

[jedi47]

This is a "touchy" subject........ Being a self employed residential builder, I KNOW & APPRECIATE the "buy local" train of thought. BUT,,, if I can save 40-50% buying the ball online & having it drilled locally vs. buying the ball locally & having it drilled, I have to use option 1, $$$$$ are too hard to come by in central boredom (AKA central Iowa)

[hbhammerhead]

i think the only way a pro shop could compete with an online store is the simple fact at being able to match price wise per ball. the only way they can do that is if they can get balls for the same cost as an online company would. in order to do this they have to buy the same amount and have enough cash to do this. which, unless you have a lot of green saved up, then it's not going to happen. not to mention, storage. where is a small pro shop going to keep 1000 bowling balls? the only pro shops that might be able to pull this off are the ones inside bowling alleys. they could join forces with the bowling alley. bowling alley backs them on cash and pro shop can offer cheap pricing and more revenue for the alley. people would go to that shop in THAT HOUSE to get there balls. they could even throw in an offer for 5 free games with every bowling ball purchase. who knows. the money in pro shops now days comes from the labor of drilling service. which is great profit i think. most places charge about $50 for maybe a half hour of work. that's good money. but it is an unfortunate situation to try to deal with for owners of shops. it's like home depot and walmart taking out all the small mom and pop operations.

[Lonewolf300800]

you should check out this website: proshopsinthedark.com. it's proshops getting together to do just what's being discussed in this thread; fight back against internet sales. also, ebonite just annouced plans to have one price for its bowling ball sales regardless of quantity ordered, so that should help. i support my proshop very much, so much in fact i drive 75 miles one way to get there. there are prohops in each of the two houses i bowl in, but one is all but hidden in the basement of the center and the other i don't trust to drill my stuff. a good proshop operator can be your best asset to becoming a better bowler, mine knows my game and can recommend new balls/drillings that will work for me.

[can-ham]

Yeah my proshop in the states (shady grove in MD) and mine in Canada both charge around $65 for drilling and inserts for balls not bought from them. And drilling is free for ball bought from them. This is the magic price that makes buying balls on line about the same price as buying it in the shop. Both the shops are excellent drillers so I prefer to buy balls from them.

Some people on this site get mad and expect drilling for $20 but think about how much your time is worth. If the driller is good it should take at least 1/2 an hour plus to get every thing right plus supplies. I know my time is worth more that that so I wouldn't expect a good driller to be that discounted.

You get what you pay for, and it's alway better to see before you pay. But there are always exceptions to every rule.

[ravenhammer]

ebonite just annouced plans to have one price for its bowling ball sales regardless of quantity ordered, so that should help.
It will all come down to the ball company's, do they want to keep pro shops in business or not.

[Rowdy]

Let's hear it for Ebonite/Hammer!!!! About time someone stepped up and stopped discounting balls. NOW,for those of you who buy balls from other companies (Why I don't know!) E mail,call,whatever and tell them that Hammer gets your business from now on unless they follow Ebonite/Hammer's lead. Your money DOES affect how they do business.

[GreenRidgePro]

Boy is it nice to see that not everyone is impartial to buying from the internet,and some do actually support their local pro shop.The last time I posted about internet ball buyers,I got the crap beat out of me on here.I have been in the buskiness for 23 + years,and have a ton of pride in what I do for bowlers and bowling in general.BTW,I am now a proud member of ProShopsInThe Dark.

[Rowdy]

Please remember that we will only buy from a Pro Shop who treats us as a valued customer and not some interruption of their bowling stories or their practice time while they live out some pipe dream of making it to the PBA. I actually got a snide remark from the new Pro Shop guy for having to stop practicing during one of his 100 games he rolled that day to work on a ball. Guess who doesn't get my cash anymore??? I go somewhere else now. Felt bad when the manager of the lanes asked why I don't buy in his shop anymore and had to give him the news about his brand new Pro.

[hbhammerhead]

is it true that all centers have to have a pro shop? someone told me this, just wondering if it was true.

[pipes]

This is a great post, just wanted to bump it to hope some of the Christmas shoppers support their local proshop.

http://www.xcel.on.ca/web_pics/22296.jpg

Bought my ball at the pro shop and would buy my shoes from them but I am in SE Michigan and there seems to be NO PLACE that stocks any real amount of good shoes . I am looking for a pair of Brusnwick classic blacks. So I guess I wll just order online . Thou I prefer to try them on . never can tell I normaly wear a 12 reg but in a few shoes if there cut CHEAP I need the wide or even a 13. But all my shoes I own right now are just reg size 12.I am gong to buy a BWP to go with my BWS soon PS price is $178.00 drilled for the BWP.

[TenPinSniper]

is it true that all centers have to have a pro shop? someone told me this, just wondering if it was true.

Not true, we have a center that has a proshop closet, but nobody has leased the space.

[Rowdy]

No,not true that a house has to have a Pro Shop. And some need to get rid of theirs. The space would be better used by putting in more video games.