Practice/Owner Issue

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BrunsWolf
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Practice/Owner Issue

Post by BrunsWolf »

Hello everyone,

It would appear I have a new problem that I'd love some input about and I'd like to start a discussion about possible options. With that said, here we go....

First of all, I live in Jonesboro, AR. A place where bowling isn't that big for sure and we only have one center with the next closest decent center being in Memphis (over an hour away). We have sporatically had sport leagues/PBAX leagues but would always die out because of all the house bowlers never wanting a challenge. Our last sport league died out (after making a nice profit in it) and now I have absolutely nothing to practice on besides the house shot.

I'm the only bowler around that goes to regionals, nationals, and I might start going to the megabucks starting in the summer and I have nothing tougher to practice on.

The other day, I asked the owner of the center about my option. She is one of those owners that focus 99% on open play and 1% on leagues. However, her business is declining in both. With this and other things, she's very tight with every penny (although she will have 4 people working the snack bar when its dead). She refused to put out different patterns because they cost her too much money. For a little background, our THS is 19.4 mL and most of the tougher shots would be ~24mL. When she said this, I told her that she isn't losing money if it makes me come in to bowl more and spend more there. She told me it wouldn't make a difference and that it's still a waste of oil and money. Her idea was that for every time they put a shot out, I should have to pay $20 on top of the price of the games I bowl. I told her that was ludicrous in that it would in no way cost that much to burn 2 lanes and oil 2 lanes.

I'm at a loss as to how to attach this situation. I'd like to think that as a long time bowler at that house that I'd get a little help, especially considering as how competitive I am in tournaments. I find it crazy that friends in Little Rock can call 30mins before and they will put any shot out with no extra charge anytime and that I can't get even that small favor every now and then.

What do you suggest I do? I've played the THS with spare balls and insanely aggressive stuff just to make myself work a little more for a strike but thats not even enough sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts
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kellytehuna
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by kellytehuna »

I feel your pain here. Our owner is cut from similar cloth. If she is serious about making you pay an extra $20 (which is OUTRAGEOUS) try to talk say 5 friends in to going in with you. That's only $4 extra a piece. If you can't do that, offer $5 extra on top of what you pay for you games. Or, commit to a MINIMUM number of games with her if she does that for you. She's GUARANTEED a certain amount of money every time she does it for you. Or, tell her you'll pay an extra quarter per game. No matter what, she's making money when she otherwise might not.

Just for the economical side of it, I know in my center, the oil we use is about $240 for 5 gallons (I think...) and the stripper is of similar cost. I believe 5 gallons equates to ROUGHLY 19 litres (19,000 ml). So putting out an extra 5ml costs her just 6c, assuming her oil is bought as a similar price. No extra cost for the stripping, since she would be using the same volume.
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Mo Pinel
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by Mo Pinel »

BrunsWolf wrote:Hello everyone,

It would appear I have a new problem that I'd love some input about and I'd like to start a discussion about possible options. With that said, here we go....

First of all, I live in Jonesboro, AR. A place where bowling isn't that big for sure and we only have one center with the next closest decent center being in Memphis (over an hour away). We have sporatically had sport leagues/PBAX leagues but would always die out because of all the house bowlers never wanting a challenge. Our last sport league died out (after making a nice profit in it) and now I have absolutely nothing to practice on besides the house shot.

I'm the only bowler around that goes to regionals, nationals, and I might start going to the megabucks starting in the summer and I have nothing tougher to practice on.

The other day, I asked the owner of the center about my option. She is one of those owners that focus 99% on open play and 1% on leagues. However, her business is declining in both. With this and other things, she's very tight with every penny (although she will have 4 people working the snack bar when its dead). She refused to put out different patterns because they cost her too much money. For a little background, our THS is 19.4 mL and most of the tougher shots would be ~24mL. When she said this, I told her that she isn't losing money if it makes me come in to bowl more and spend more there. She told me it wouldn't make a difference and that it's still a waste of oil and money. Her idea was that for every time they put a shot out, I should have to pay $20 on top of the price of the games I bowl. I told her that was ludicrous in that it would in no way cost that much to burn 2 lanes and oil 2 lanes.

I'm at a loss as to how to attach this situation. I'd like to think that as a long time bowler at that house that I'd get a little help, especially considering as how competitive I am in tournaments. I find it crazy that friends in Little Rock can call 30mins before and they will put any shot out with no extra charge anytime and that I can't get even that small favor every now and then.

What do you suggest I do? I've played the THS with spare balls and insanely aggressive stuff just to make myself work a little more for a strike but thats not even enough sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts
AND YOU WONDER WHY OUR SPORT, AND THE BUSINESS, IS IN THE TOILET!!!!! I DON'T!!!!!
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Jonny Sweden
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by Jonny Sweden »

BrunsWolf wrote:Hello everyone,

It would appear I have a new problem that I'd love some input about and I'd like to start a discussion about possible options. With that said, here we go....

First of all, I live in Jonesboro, AR. A place where bowling isn't that big for sure and we only have one center with the next closest decent center being in Memphis (over an hour away). We have sporatically had sport leagues/PBAX leagues but would always die out because of all the house bowlers never wanting a challenge. Our last sport league died out (after making a nice profit in it) and now I have absolutely nothing to practice on besides the house shot.

I'm the only bowler around that goes to regionals, nationals, and I might start going to the megabucks starting in the summer and I have nothing tougher to practice on.

The other day, I asked the owner of the center about my option. She is one of those owners that focus 99% on open play and 1% on leagues. However, her business is declining in both. With this and other things, she's very tight with every penny (although she will have 4 people working the snack bar when its dead). She refused to put out different patterns because they cost her too much money. For a little background, our THS is 19.4 mL and most of the tougher shots would be ~24mL. When she said this, I told her that she isn't losing money if it makes me come in to bowl more and spend more there. She told me it wouldn't make a difference and that it's still a waste of oil and money. Her idea was that for every time they put a shot out, I should have to pay $20 on top of the price of the games I bowl. I told her that was ludicrous in that it would in no way cost that much to burn 2 lanes and oil 2 lanes.

I'm at a loss as to how to attach this situation. I'd like to think that as a long time bowler at that house that I'd get a little help, especially considering as how competitive I am in tournaments. I find it crazy that friends in Little Rock can call 30mins before and they will put any shot out with no extra charge anytime and that I can't get even that small favor every now and then.

What do you suggest I do? I've played the THS with spare balls and insanely aggressive stuff just to make myself work a little more for a strike but thats not even enough sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts

Outrageous is the word! Bowlingcenters should be run by bowlers. If you’re just in it for the money you should’nt buy a bowlingalley. It’s a way of life not just a business. I bought my bowlingcenter because of my love of the game. I do not make much money but I love my job.
Young talents (like stefan52) trains for free (as long as they’rre serious) and when there is tournaments coming up in sweden I alwys oil the actual patterns so that our local players will have a fair cance when they compete with the best.
In summer when business is slow wh have half price on Thursdays for league bowlers with a new sportspattern every week. Thats a huge hit here. We get many bowlers from other towns that night just for the chance to practice. You could suggest that to her.
I cant provide you with any good advice on how to change her mind the rest of the year though but if she has a proshop as well I’d suggest you to share with her a timeless truth among us center and proshop owners...
THE TOUGHER THE PATTERNS YOU OIL THE MORE BOWLINGBALLS YOU’LL SELL! ;)
http://www.olofstromsbowlinghall.se/
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MattInTheHat
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by MattInTheHat »

We run all the lanes on the weekends but usually put out a lighter oil / open bowler pattern, except on many Sundays we run 19-20 with either our league shot or a sport shot. When we know that they are coming in we will hold that pair for our league / tournament bowlers and charge $10 per person to bowl on that pair, for unlimited games. There are only a few people who take advantage of this but they are primarily the one's we do it for anyways as they bowl regionals and tournaments. But anyone who wanted to could come in and play whatever shot was out that day, as many games as they wanted, for $10.
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thor849
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by thor849 »

Jared,

The simple solution here is to come out and practice at TWoods in Pocahontas. The high average in the house is 194. No honor scores have been shot in 4 years and the one 700 shot this season was the first in 3 years. The condition may not have those interesting little names like the Kegel patterns do, but it is as brutal as you're gonna find.
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coolerman
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by coolerman »

See thread about college bowling.
Maybe if the owners had a minor education in bowling,this problem would
not be so common.
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RevZiLLa
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Re: Practice/Owner Issue

Post by RevZiLLa »

How about using plastic?
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