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A Question To Alley Owners

Posted: April 16th, 2018, 10:40 am
by soupy1957
Have you done any analysis of “time spent at the Lanes” by the average bowler? You pretty much know your clientele; your “regulars.” How many games (translates into dollars) does the average “walk in” bowler play? How long do they typically stay on premises?

I’m curious.......

I paid $48 for five games for my wife and I yesterday, (we have our own shoes) and I remember being
asked if I would like to pay by the game or by the hour. I chose “by the game.” I think we were there for two hours. Would It have been cheaper if I paid by the hour?

Re: A Question To Alley Owners

Posted: April 16th, 2018, 3:23 pm
by JohnP
That depends on several factors. Most importantly, how much does the center charge per hour and were you bowling on one lane or a pair?

Let's say you're using one lane. For two "walk in" bowlers it will take about 30 minutes to bowl one game (10 minutes per game for one regular bowler bowling without a break). So that's 2 1/2 hours for five games each. You paid $48 for the five games, so the break-even price is $19.20 (we'll say $20) per hour.

Added on edit:

I'm not a center owner, but I've been around bowling for a long time. In the early 60's when I was in high school, my local center had a $1 an hour summer special from 4 - 6 pm that I used frequently. The most I could do was 6 games in the hour. At that time the per game price was $.35, or 3 games for a dollar. -- JohnP