I wrote this a month or two ago after dealing with a particularly irritating, ignorant, and wholly incompetent customer.  I'm not saying all pro shops are perfect, however.

That’s exactly what it is, a business, so it must be treated like one.  It’s not a tradepost where wares can be bartered for or bargained for.  The prices in our shop have been established due to thorough calculations that reflect the amount we have deemed necessary for us to operate.  The idea that you should receive a discount because you feel our prices are too high is unreasonable.  This is not the way a true business works.  Discounts or coupons may be offered, but will most likely be declined if requested.  We pride ourselves on the level of quality and professionalism with which we operate, and changing our methods or altering the way we do business can only detract from our service.  This being said, we offer prices that are among the most reasonable in the country.  Bowling is an expensive business, and we have no control over the amounts we pay for the equipment.  As we cannot “bargain” with our supplier, you as our customer must understand that whereas we may offer promotions or specials, the price we pay remains the same, and we are doing the best we can to present you with prices as low as they are.  Thank you.


I've posted this once before, but there are new users on the site, and this may be beneficial for them to think about.  Again, I'm not saying that all shops are perfect, but it's up to YOU to do the research and weigh the facts.  Too many people nowadays only look at the price and then have the asinine nerve to complain about what they receive.
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The weekly signature series, by Hamster, presenting a mini-series of quotes from Shrek!

"You know how you tryin to give somebody the hint, but they won't leave, then there's that big awkward silence, you know . . . ."

How is it a rip off?  You must make profit to cover costs and end up with profit at the end.  If we lowered our prices, we'd be ripping OURSELVES off.  It's in no way worth it to spend the time, money, and go through the stress of impatient, ignorant customers to break even at the end of the month.  Other pro shop operators know what I'm talking about.  I've never tried to get something for nothing, from the first day I set foot in this shop (before I worked here) I paid EVERY CENT I was charged without so much as a word other than "thank you."  You want to go to college just to graduate and earn minimum wage?  I'll wager to guess that many people that read this get paid more than they're worth, and know it too.  I still maintain that my boss and I aren't being paid enough.
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The weekly signature series, by Hamster, presenting a mini-series of quotes from Shrek!

"You know how you tryin to give somebody the hint, but they won't leave, then there's that big awkward silence, you know . . . ."

omg thats cheap compared to over in this area.

Over here youd pay 189 just for the ball. Drilling will run from 40(if you buy ther ball from shop) to 70(buy elsewhere).

10 for grips
10 for slugs
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Hamster, I didn't mean to imply your shop was ripping people off, but a great many industries base their sale prices with negotiation amounts already factord in.  If you don't attempt to haggle, you could be getting ripped off.  You may very well be offering very good prices, but most pro shops I've seen are selling at retail, which in no way is a good price for the consumer.  

The pro-shop at my favorite house, the price for a phenom-unleashed out the door was 257 after taxes and inserts.  (no slug or free games)  The X-factor reloaded, 254.  

The majority of the shops I've seen, are in the same range.  

I apologize for making it sound as if I was referring to you, but I have come accross very few pro shops that actually have competitve pricing.  If your shop was in my area, I'd be happy to shop there considering from the price you quoted, your prices seem very fair.