Author Topic: Fees Increased (Read 3409 times)

Pat Kruschel · « **on:** August 21, 2003, 11:20:14 PM »

Had the Captain's meeting for league, last night.
The center hit us with both a $.50 lineage increase($7.65 to $8.15)(Fee raised from $15 to $16 per bowler/per night) and $.25 beer increase. ($2.75 to $3 a bottle)
Usually, it was one or the other.

Keep in mind that our league is the biggest in the house, 26 5-man teams.

The new owners are really making a good impression, hope they are going to update the house with all the extra money they make.

Anyone else get hit with increases like this ?
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PK
You are only as strong as your weakest link!

That would be me!

Magic Carpet · « **Reply #16 on:** August 22, 2003, 11:41:27 PM »

Believe me guys 99% of the time centers only raise lineage in order to pay the bills....not so the owner can buy a new Porsche.
There is no excuse for the bathrooms to not be clean most of the time
and oil on the lanes.

Joe, it's not a good idea for a center to negotiate their lineage (if they can help it) during prime time. If the league bowls in the middle of the day or is a 2nd shift league then maybe ok. If you give a special rate to one league then word will get around and the other leagues will fill slighted.
As far as league revenue you have to make it during prime time. If you start giving that up then you will be closing the doors in no time or you have to turn your attention to open bowlers. The money has to be made somehow.

As far as shrinking prize funds I wish bowlers would get more active in trying to find sponsors for leagues. I bet a lot of bowlers work at places that would sponsor a league if they only asked. It was much easier on everyone 25 years ago when all you got at the end of league was a trophy. Now teams expect to get back hundreds of dollars at the end of the season. That is fine but the money has to come from somewhere.

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #17 on:** August 23, 2003, 09:13:44 AM »

MC .. Sponsors is the answer for PRIZE FUNDS .. agree 100%. A little misunderstanding on negotiations .. DIDN'T mean negotiate the ADDITIONAL FEES .. that's acceptable .. I was referring to NEGOTIATING CONDITIONS! Tell us that we will have things a little better for things that we were UNHAPPY about last season. That's what I meant to convey in my comment!
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

tburky · « **Reply #18 on:** August 23, 2003, 09:38:56 AM »

What always amazed me is the fact that in my area the leagues pay more money for their bowling than open bowlers do. The leagues guarantee to bowl 36 weeks and open bowling is not guaranteed. In fact, open bowling declined 11% in my area. I am not complaining because I want to bowl and will pay the price...unless it gets too out of hand.

charlest · « **Reply #19 on:** August 23, 2003, 09:53:16 AM »

quote:
Joe Falco:
If we can't ask for things when we sign a contract .. when can we ask for them? What would happen if the LEAGUE said WE'RE NOT Going TO TAKE THIS ANY MORE!!! Then moved to another house.

Someone on this FORUM keeps talking about BOWLING DYING! Doesn't that mean that the CENTERS don't want to lose what they have and we have the ability to BARGAIN??
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J O E - F A L C O

Joe,

Here in NJ, most centers would be all too glad to have leagues drop out. They seem to believe that Open bowling and especially Cosmic bowling makes them so much more money with much less whining and complaining that league bowlers do.

Yes, I do agree that contract time is THE main time to negotiate. However, I don't know any league who has been able to get any house to agree to less than 35/36 weeks of bowling. Around here (NJ) people have become deadened to the pain of ever increasing prices, but what drives most of them out of league bowling, as far as I have seen, is the commitment to what in March and April seems to be a never ending length of the bowling season. With kids, jobs and other family activities (especially chauffeuring kids to every sport under the sun) most people can't commit, any longer to 36 weeks.

I don't know how long Cosmic bowling will last, but it seems that kids from 6 year olds and up are being weaned into believing this is THE ONLY type of bowling. So, as teenagers and young adults, they will NOT be joining leagues.

Very few people these days see any joy in bowling as a sport. (Yes, we do have many young teenagers and adults here.)

Sorry for the length of the reply and its becoming a rant.
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"Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it."

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #20 on:** August 23, 2003, 10:21:06 AM »

I'm not disagreeing .. I just don't understand! This COSMIC BOWLING that everyone refers too .. I guess I'm living in the DARK AGES .. I'm not familiar with it .. I am going to the CENTER and inquire about it. If it can compete with LEAGUES it has to be something. Leagues GUARANTEE MONEY to the CENTER .. it's tough to picture this COSMIC BOWLING doing that .. but perhaps I DON"T KNOW what's in the REAL WORLD. I WILL FIND OUT. Thanks for the info!

NOTE: A 4 man team/bowling 3 games/24 teams/for 36 weeks (1 league) paying $2.75 per game will bring in $28,512 .. How many leagues are there in a winter season at a Center? Then there's the BAR BILL! This COSMIC thing must be something!
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

Debina · « **Reply #21 on:** August 23, 2003, 10:45:49 AM »

Yep, the manager of our shiny newer center has also said he'd rather have cosmic bowling every night than put up with league players. It's pretty popular and lucrative for the center. Doing the math ... Our 36-lane center has 9 hours of Cosmic a week at $22 per lane per hour, and they pack the house. Even if they only fill the house for 26 weeks out of the year (an extremely conservative estimate), That's $185,328, and that doesn't include shoe rentals and a lot more alcohol and food than gets consumed during leagues.

Sorry for the pseudo-hijack. I was just amazed by the math.

Deb

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #22 on:** August 23, 2003, 11:37:02 AM »

$22 per lane per hour .. If that's what the Centers are getting .. I'D GIVE UP CATERING TO LEAGUES. Now tell me .. the CENTERS charge 22 bucks an hour and they are filling the house? With 4 bowlers on a team .. one team on an alley it takes a minimum of 2 hours to bowl three games .. In OPEN bowling if two people bowl 3 games each on one alley @ $3 a game it would be total $18 .. I'm sure if you knock yourself out you can bowl more then 6 games .. but the numbers amaze me .. what do they give for the $22 and hour that's attracts people? I'm not asking to be WISE .. I'm trying to UNDERSTAND! Please help me!
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

MichiganBowling · « **Reply #23 on:** August 23, 2003, 05:14:48 PM »

I live in MIchigan (obviously), and have noticed that all of those centers that gave away their lineage are now out of business. What does that tell you? Bowlers complain about paying $8 - $9 for prime time league rates, well at least they still have a place to bowl!

Another thing, leagues pay more than open bowlers BECAUSE the money is guranteeed! Now let me rephrase that...From 6pm-9pm, a bowler CANNOT go open bowling. They have to wait until after leagues or they have to go during the day. That is the whole point behind "prime time" is that these league bowlers gaurantee x amount to the house each week, but the center also gaurantees those lanes at that time slot during the busiest bowling time of the day! It's a fair trade.

At 9pm, if a center is not utilizing all of their lanes, then they are probably either charging too much, giving poor service, or the people in their area just don't bowl enough to fill that time slot. So the centers charge less to get them in the building. Supply and Demand. But charge enough to pay your bills for crying out loud!!!

It all makes perfect sense to me.
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Brian
MichiganBowling.com
http://www.MichiganBowling.com

Famous Last Words of a Pot Bowler--"Ok, but this is my last game!"

Author Topic: Fees Increased (Read 3409 times)

Pat Kruschel

Fees Increased

Magic Carpet

Re: Fees Increased

JOE FALCO

Re: Fees Increased

tburky

Re: Fees Increased

charlest

Re: Fees Increased

JOE FALCO

Re: Fees Increased

Debina

Re: Fees Increased

JOE FALCO

Re: Fees Increased

MichiganBowling

Re: Fees Increased