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Author Topic: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices  (Read 13147 times)

Harmsey

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Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« on: January 14, 2010, 06:17:51 AM »
After many hours of thought and watching friends go out of business or finding new jobs due to lack of bowling equipment sales, has left me with one question to the bowling manufacturers. "Why won't you establish a minimum sale price for all current products on the market?The golf industry is much larger and has more companies in their sport than bowling and yet you can go to any local on course pro shop,local retailer, and pick any of the web sellers and the price of current products are within $5.00 of each retailer. Bowling has in place all that needs to be done to police this situation but the manufactures still think that once they sell a product to the distributors the price that needs to be charged is out of there hands, when its the manufactures job to protect their product and keep the industry stable. With the ridiculously low prices some e-tailers are selling products for forces many pro shop operators into being just a ball driller or to leave the business altogether. Bowling will continue to decline if the ship is not righted soon. This is just one of many reasons bowling is suffering and manufactures need to help this industry if they want bowling to start growing again.
--------------------
Steve Harms
Owner Bowler Choice Pro Shop
USBC Silver Coach
Track Regional Staff
Member PBA
www.bowlerschoiceproshop.com
Steve Harms

 

txbowler

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #46 on: January 14, 2010, 09:36:58 PM »
This is sort of the same arguement when Walmart went nationwide.  A lot of smaller businesses could not compete and went out of business.

However, alot of businesses adjusted their business model and are doing just fine.

Tough times for every business out there.

stormed1

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #47 on: January 14, 2010, 10:28:03 PM »
I don't have a problem with people bringing in balls off the internet to drill as i make the same amount drilling them as drilling a ball from stock. Plus i don't have to worry if there is a warranty issue as they have to handle getting the ball replaced. And then i get to charge to drill the new one. That being said i DO have issues with some of the distributers. there is one that i used to do a lot of business with that i now only use as a last resort due to their involvement with internet sales. Their rep came in to find out why my purchases had dropped off so suddenly. I showed him a receipt from an online etailer for a ball. The customer bought the ball delivered to his home for less than my cost on the ball ( without counting my shipping cost). I told him why should i buy 500+ balls a year from you when someone who buys 1 every ten years can buy it for less. I don't get the ball for any less from the 2 distributers i use but at least they have no internet association other than a website their pro shops can order through.
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Break Down 60x4.5x60 @3k+polish
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r534me

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #48 on: January 14, 2010, 10:47:08 PM »
Question, if the proshop does replace a ball purchased through it under warranty do they redrill for free?  I have never warrantied a ball before and I don't know anyone who has either.

kidlost2000

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #49 on: January 15, 2010, 12:01:34 AM »
quote:
quote:
This is sort of the same argument when Walmart went nationwide.  A lot of smaller businesses could not compete and went out of business.

However, a lot of businesses adjusted their business model and are doing just fine.

Tough times for every business out there.


The only people that'll have a problem with it are the shop owners that are too closed minded to accept change.  The pricing structure or presentation of the products can easily be changed and that's not the problem I have with all of this.  My main concern is my customers being blinded by price and not by what they need and bringing in the ball to me to magically make it do exactly what they want...in example a virtual gravity no matter how you drill it is still a virtual gravity.  I'm not going to be able to drill it to roll like you're "X" ball when it's not even of the same design.  Like I said they all end up paying the same or close to the same price either from me or online it's just the professional recommendation that's not being trusted.  Are there that many pro shops out there that do that bad of a job putting people into equipment that we don't have a lock on the market?  Is it really just the pricing?  I sure hope so...I'd actually be ok if it was just the money part....
--------------------
Dave Roberts Jr
Track staff
Turbo regional staff
Bowl-T's Pro Shop, Imperial. MO
www.imperialbowl.com




You also know in the proshop business no matter what you say if Joe Bolwer sees someone like Tommy Jones throwing ball "x" on the cheetah pattern he then decides that is the ball for him and that is what he wants and that ball will do the same.

Even if he sees it from another local bowler with a completely different style he still wants ball "x". It may be the dullest ball out there and he is going to want it to go long and snap. See it all the time.

Not to mention guys who want ball "x" to do whatever and follow that with but I don't want any extra holes in the ball.

It will always be something. These are the same people who complain about all of these different companies having bad product because they bought their best ball once and it rolled like crap. Knowing it was probably the bowler or the bowlers expectation of what the bowl should do.
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" men lie, women lie, numbers don't "
…… you can't  add a physics term to a bowling term and expect it to mean something.

Atochabsh

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #50 on: January 15, 2010, 12:57:13 AM »
quote:
Question, if the proshop does replace a ball purchased through it under warranty do they redrill for free?


This is a touchy question and a good one.  The service was paid for and the 1st drilling completed.  Nothing went wrong with the service, the product had a problem but not the service.  So the second ball, the customer should pay for that service again.  

But wait! you say, its not their fault that the second ball has to be drilled.  So what usually happens is that its a case by case basis.  For example, customer buys as a gift, a 6 or 8lb ball and has you drill it for their 15 year old male child.  You tell them the ball is too light but they want it and have it drilled up anyway.  Two weeks later the ball is brought in because its got a big smashed hole in it from where it impacted something at a high rate of speed.  You warrenty the ball, but it was really abused and not put to its normal use (by a small child).  Customer doesn't want to pay for the second ball drilling.  But you had warned them that the ball was too light.  The ball was "broken" and abused.  So you charge them for the second drilling.  Scenario 2 is that an adult customer buys a 14lb reactive ball.  15 months later it cracks from the finger holes to the pin (even though specs were followed as to distance) and then the crack spreads across the ball a few inches from the pin.  You can save the grips and reuse them.  You will have to replace the thumb slug.  And you'll probably throw in the drilling for free and charge for the slug.

Erin

r534me

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #51 on: January 15, 2010, 01:07:18 AM »
Doesn't sound like a winning case for the PSO.

Spider Man

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #52 on: January 15, 2010, 05:39:31 AM »
quote:
Yup, I'm a big A-Hole that works with the local youth, coach kids on my own time and don't charge them a penny.




If that's your "in" with the girls...

But on a serious note, my local PRO shop operator said business is real slow. Nobody is buying. With the economy the way it is, now isn't the time to undercut the Pro shops.
--------------------
BHO - Plains Indian Giver



Imagine Whirled Peas

Unhomed

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #53 on: January 15, 2010, 07:36:24 AM »
quote:


Does mommy allow you to cross the busy streets yet...

....................

Face it boy,  you can't stand it when a real hard working pro shop defends our industry.. It makes losers like you feel small...

....................

now go pee pee on the toy toy, it's bed time...
--------------------
jls


It should be pointed out to you that your "defending" does more harm than good to your industry.

You may have a good point now and then, but one must wade through piles and piles of your clueless mean rambling bullying bullsh!t to find it.

It ain't worth it.
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IMHO,
Rik

"My life is a ball, one frame at a time."

jls

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #54 on: January 15, 2010, 08:27:41 AM »
Fishbowl....   What can you buy a Pure Swing for drilled....or a Jig Corner...
I see them online for $143.99 undrilled....

Anyone can check that out.... Bowlin.com...

Just because you claim you bought a ball that low, does not mean every high end model is selling that low.....

Also,  ask yourself this....

Do you think you are that important to me....That I care what you think...

You like most keyboard pounders mean nothing to me...

There are probably 5 mil. league bowlers, and another 10 mil that bowl regularly...  At this moment in time, there are 271 people on this site....

Now 271 out of 15 mil.....

I''m not saying it''s wrong to buy online or to try to save money...

What I''m saying is this.... It''s not true that one can buy all high end balls for under $150. drilled... Balls that may be selling for about $200 in a pro shop....

Sure there will always be a case where someone is footballing a price on a ball...Maybe they were overstocked or maybe they made a special purchase.

Grow up,  But I seriously doubt that you can buy most of the newest releases for that price drilled online.....

The person who I responded too made a claim that all high end balls can be bought drilled online for under $150...

and that is not so.......

Now if you don''t like the fact that I will defend pro shops, guess what boy...

I don''t care,  cause you mean nothing to me...

Your just another keyboard pounder who gets up in the morning, passes gas, maybe brushes his teeth, goes to McDonalds for coffee, then pours it into a Star Bucks Mug to impress people at work... and then spends most of his work day surfing the net....

And when you lose your job to some little girl in China.... You will cry...
But maybe if you actually put in  a full day at work, instead of coming on here and acting like joe pro... You might not lose your job...

And that is exactly what is happening each and every day in the job market...

Keyboard pounders are being replaced....

now remember...

you mean less then nothing to me...

just so you know


--------------------
jls

Edited on 1/15/2010 9:30 AM

Fishbowl815

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #55 on: January 15, 2010, 08:50:20 AM »
LOL your so funny...ok lets see buddies again has pure swing for 143 + 18 to drill it is 161, so again way cheaper than coming to some hack like you that probably doesn't even know how to drill the new equipment and pay 200+...maybe your bad with numbers but 161 is less than 200....maybe instead of insults you should thank me for the math lesson I have given you the last couple of days and I wouldn't worry about my job unlike you I will have my job and you'll be out of business pretty soon

storm making it rain

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #56 on: January 15, 2010, 08:55:40 AM »
dont know where you got your $18.00 drilling price from buddies, but if your interested here is a link to their drilling services page

http://www.buddiesproshop.com/products/12-Professional_DrillingServices/0~99999/25-Buddies_Pro_Shop/All/All/page.htm

 
quote:
LOL your so funny...ok lets see buddies again has pure swing for 143 + 18 to drill it is 161, so again way cheaper than coming to some hack like you that probably doesn't even know how to drill the new equipment and pay 200+...maybe your bad with numbers but 161 is less than 200....maybe instead of insults you should thank me for the math lesson I have given you the last couple of days and I wouldn't worry about my job unlike you I will have my job and you'll be out of business pretty soon

Fishbowl815

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #57 on: January 15, 2010, 09:00:30 AM »
They always have a drill20 coupon so you take 20 off of the drilling...

jls

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #58 on: January 15, 2010, 09:09:27 AM »
quote:
LOL your so funny...ok lets see buddies again has pure swing for 143 + 18 to drill it is 161, so again way cheaper than coming to some hack like you that probably doesn''t even know how to drill the new equipment and pay 200+...maybe your bad with numbers but 161 is less than 200....maybe instead of insults you should thank me for the math lesson I have given you the last couple of days and I wouldn''t worry about my job unlike you I will have my job and you''ll be out of business pretty soon




PRICES FROM BUDDIES PRO SHOP AS OF TODAY FOR THE FOLLOWING BALLS AS QUOTED OVER THE PHONE....

NOW THESE PRICES MAY VARY BY A DOLLAR OR TWO FROM THE PRICES POSTED ON THEIR WEB SITE...



VIRTUAL ENERGY.... $187.99  FITTED AND DRILLED

PURE SWING..... $194.99  FITTED AND DRILLED      

JIGSAW CORNER.... $194.99  FITTED AND DRILLED


NOW ANYONE CAN CALL THEM OR GO ONLINE AND CHECK THIS OUT....

YOU SIR ARE A LIAR, A BAG OF WIND....

YOU GO TO WORK AND EXPECT A PAYCHECK....

YET YOU COME ON AND LIE AND BASH A PRO SHOP FOR MAKING A LIVING...

MY PRICE ON THE ABOVE BALLS IS $5.00 HIGHER...

AND I FIT YOU ON THE SPOT,  I DISCUSS IN DETAIL THE LAYOUTS AND I ADJUST THE BALL AFTER DRILLING....

AND I DRILL ALL THE LATEST DRILLINGS... NICE TRY TRYING TO DEGRADE ANOTHER PRO SHOP.... YOU ARE ONE SICK A HOLE... AND A LIAR...

YOU SIR ARE A TYPICAL KEYBOARD POUNDER....

CALL BUDDIES OR GO ONLINE....

THE PRICES I POSTED ARE THEIR CURRENT PRICES...

NICE TRY YOU LIAR FOR TRYING TO MAKE HONEST PRO SHOPS LOOK LIKE CROOKS...

YOU SIR, ARE NOW THE ONE WHO EVERYONE CAN SEE IS A LIAR............

NOW

YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE...

ARE WE CLEAR

$5 HIGHER,  YA WE ARE ALL CROOKS....

YOU SIR ARE THE REASON THE BOWLING INDUSTRY IS HURTING...

YOU PROBABLY ARE ONE OF THOSE THAT TRIES TO STEEL POTS FROM AVERAGE BOWLERS, OR YELLS IF SOMEONE WITH STICKS BEATS YOU BUY A PIN FOR THE POT...

AND THEN PEOPLE WONDER WHY SO MANY HAVE LEFT LEAGUE BOWLING..

THEY ARE SICK OF DEALING WITH JOE PROS LIKE YOU....


STILL CLEAR


NOW THAT IT''S PLAIN TO PROVE YOU LIED

ARE YOU RELATED TO TIGER OR OBAMA OR CLINTON...

THEY TO SEEM TO HAVE NO PROBLEM LOOKING ONE IN THE EYE AND LYING........

NOW GET LOST  YOU''RE A JOKE
--------------------
jls

Edited on 1/15/2010 10:24 AM

storm making it rain

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #59 on: January 15, 2010, 09:21:05 AM »
boy im glad im getting $225 for the balls you mentioned...wait im a damn crook.  fact of the matter is everyone has business philosophies.  i know what i want my mark up to be, granted i will adjust it for some people, but most of the time i stick to it.  if i lose business because of a possibly higher mark up thats also fine its only me that suffers from it.  if you want to buy online thats fine with me but dont ask me to swap out a bad pin or fix something on the said ball.

 
quote:

   quote:LOL your so funny...ok lets see buddies again has pure swing for 143 + 18 to drill it is 161, so again way cheaper than coming to some hack like you that probably doesn't even know how to drill the new equipment and pay 200+...maybe your bad with numbers but 161 is less than 200....maybe instead of insults you should thank me for the math lesson I have given you the last couple of days and I wouldn't worry about my job unlike you I will have my job and you'll be out of business pretty soon

PRICES FROM BUDDIES PRO SHOP AS OF TODAY FOR THE FOLLOWING BALLS


VIRTUAL ENERGY.... $187.99 FITTED AND DRILLED

PURE SWING..... $194.99 FITTED AND DRILLED

JIGSAW CORNER.... $194.99 FITTED AND DRILLED


NOW ANYONE CAN CALL THEM OR GO ONLINE AND CHECK THIS OUT....

YOU SIR ARE A LIAR, A BAG OF WIND....

YOU GO TO WORK AND EXPECT A PAYCHECK....

YET YOU COME ON AND LIE AND BASH A PRO SHOP FOR MAKING A LIVING...

MY PRICE ON THE ABOVE BALLS IS $5.00 HIGHER...

AND I FIT YOU ON THE SPOT, I DISCUSS IN DETAIL THE LAYOUTS AND I ADJUST THE BALL AFTER DRILLING....

AND I DRILL ALL THE LATEST DRILLINGS... NICE TRY TRYING TO DEGRADE ANOTHER PRO SHOP.... YOU ARE ONE SICK A HOLE... AND A LIAR...

YOU SIR ARE A TYPICAL KEYBOARD POUNDER....

AND YOU ARE A LIAR....

CALL BUDDIES OR GO ONLINE....

THE PRICES I POSTED ARE THEIR CURRENT PRICES...

NICE TRY YOU LIAR AND TRYING TO MAKE HONEST PRO SHOPS LOOK LIKE CROOKS...

YOU SIR, ARE NOW THE ONE WHO EVERYONE CAN SEE IS A LIAR............

NOW

YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE...

ARE WE CLEAR

$5 HIGHER, YA WE ARE ALL CROOKS....

YOU SIR ARE THE REASON THE BOWLING INDUSTRY IS HURTING...

YOU PROBABLY ARE ONE OF THOSE THAT TRIES TO STEEL POTS FROM AVERAGE BOWLERS, OR YELLS IF SOMEONE WITH STICKS BEATS YOU BUY A PIN FOR THE POT...

AND THEN PEOPLE WONDER WHY SO MANY HAVE LEFT LEAGUE BOWLING..

THEY ARE SICK OF DEALING WITH JOE PROS LIKE YOU....


STILL CLEAR


NOW THAT'S IT'S PLIAN TO PROVE YOU LIED

ARE YOU RELATED TO TIGER OR OBAMA OR CLINTON...

THEY TO SEEM TO HAVE NO PROBLEM LOOKING ONE IN THE EYE AND LYING........

NOW GET LOST YOU'RE A JOKE

Fishbowl815

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Re: Manufacturers lack of minimum sales prices
« Reply #60 on: January 15, 2010, 10:04:55 AM »
Ok I''m going to once again prove you wrong and than I''m done dealing with you cause I''''ve wasted more than enough time with your retarded butt...Buddies has the Virtual Energy on there website for 137.95 you can have that drilled for $38 with finger grips and than you can go to the home page and get the coupon and take 20 off of the drilling which makes a grand total of..

Virtual Energy $155.95

Now your more than welcome to check it our for yourself or play internet tuff guy with someone else cause you are an idiot and I have now brought my self down to your level which I will not do anymore guess we saw who the LIAR was...

Edited on 1/15/2010 11:05 AM

Edited on 1/15/2010 11:06 AM

Edited on 1/15/2010 11:07 AM

Edited on 1/15/2010 11:07 AM