Author Topic: PRO SHOPS: Manufacturers, STOP MAKING NEW BALLS! (Read 4304 times)

K_Korner · « **on:** June 06, 2003, 07:43:49 AM »

They are killing us! I buy the Threat from Track, 2-4 weeks later, the Thrash comes out! I am stuck with Threats now because it becomes stale after 2 months. Storm Came out with the X-factor, the Deuce, and the Reloaded all within 6 months of each other. The X-Factor was an awesome, ball, the Deuce was a compliment to the X-Factor... why can't they just stick with these 2 balls? I have 4 of each in stock, I can't sell them! I have to buy the Reloaded now because everyone wants that one now! I never sell more than 1 or 2 of a new ball at the regular price!
I am never stocking more than 1 of each new ball that comes out. I refuse to get stuck with the 1st ball in a line of many.
Dynothane & Rotogrip are doing it right. Ebonite & Hammer is good because they spread them out, but they come out with 15 balls at once. Brunswick is spread out... too bad there balls aren't selling well in the East.
Why do they have to flood the market?
PRO SHOPS: Give me your opinions!
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The Perfect Fit Pro Shop
www.theperfectfitproshop.com
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C-G ProShop-Carl · « **Reply #1 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:40:06 PM »

I think the biggest problem is that bowlers tend to believe that newer automatically means better. I personally like Track alot, but I did not get a Threat, I got a Thrash because I feel it would fit my game better. Having a couple of each helps in the way offering variety, especially when someone comes in and wants a pearl particle that will get down the lane really well and almost give a reactive type reaction---boom, you have the Threat.
I completely understand what you are saying, but these companies put these balls out to sell them all, not just one. They are hoping to sell the Thrash to the people that want a ball stronger than the Threat and not quite up to the Freak Out. VARIETY BABY, VARIETY

wkf0908 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 06, 2003, 11:53:45 PM »

quote:
They are killing us!

RIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Not just the pro shop, even i (bowler) was very confused with buying a new ball.

channel surfer · « **Reply #3 on:** June 07, 2003, 01:07:03 AM »

Storm constantly comes out with new balls. Its very annoying.
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My Bowling Clinic Site: http://channelsurfers.vze.com

Jerry Weller · « **Reply #4 on:** June 07, 2003, 01:40:23 AM »

Maybe the day has come where you should get together with the other local pro shops and conspire to just stock the balls of the mfgrs who aren't constantly pulling the rug out from under you.

You can always special order a ball for somebody and pass on the cost to the buyer as you see appropriate. By the way, have you looked into Visionary? They put out great bowling balls at reasonable prices, but they don't roll a new one out every friggin' month.

HamPster · « **Reply #5 on:** June 07, 2003, 02:04:38 AM »

We don't sell many to begin with, but there are only a few people asking about new balls. Storm isn't very popular, Track isn't very popular, Columbia seems to be about average, I can't remember the last time we sold an Ebonite, we don't carry anything from the smaller companies (Rotogrip, Visionary, Dyno, etc), Hammer seems to do alright, and then we have a Lane 1 rep, Marshall McLin that everyone gets their buzzsaws from, and then we have a Brunswick rep, Rick Benoit, his brother Bob the former pro, and a guy that's on their staff, and everybody usually goes through them for Brunswick. Topeka people are really cheap though, and the cost of living is pretty huge compared to wages made (I think, lol). I think we've sold 8 X-Factors since they came out, 6 Icon 300's, 5 Infernos, a couple Threats, a couple Swamp Monsters, and just one X-Deuce. Then a couple more here and there, but nothing much happens here. It's either White Dots or other plastic balls for whiny little kids that badger their parents into buying them.
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance. All the pins shall be destroyed!

Black_Balled · « **Reply #6 on:** June 07, 2003, 02:31:31 AM »

I get your point if you are trying to sell the balls, but don't stock so many - my pro shop never has anything in stock! If you are trying to buy a ball, then you just have more variety than is probably needed, but you still can decide rather easily. Take yourself for example. I have a Messenger Ti Red/Blue that is about 1.5 years old. I love it and when it wears out, I'll probably buy another......if it's still available!! So if you already have a ball that you like, who cares that 1,000 others have been released since you bought yours? Just buy what you are happy with, otherwise, just read the specs before you buy, because unlike clothes or a new car, you can't test bowling balls out before you buy them.

P.S. - If you know someone who will give a 100% money back guarantee on both the ball and the cost of drilling, P.M. me!!

10 In The Pit · « **Reply #7 on:** June 07, 2003, 03:01:02 AM »

I know that when I find a particular ball that I like, I'll purchase more than one of them, so I know what I'm dealing with for the long haul. I don't purchase balls that often, and I don't find all of the new stuff overly exciting either. I just try to find out what works for me, stash back one or two extra of them, then I'm out of the ball market for a while. But, I bowl all of my leagues at one house, and I know that there will be plenty of oil out on the lanes, so I stick with a strong drilled dull particle ball. For a couple of years, I was throwing the Complete Chaos balls. Here lately, I've been primarily using the Trauma Response.

Of course, I tend to put many hundreds of games on my equipment too. I don't throw 'em for 100 games and then throw them away like some bowlers do. Thank goodness that Doc came up with the Elixer....it definitely seems to help prolong the lifespan of a dull particle ball.

channel surfer · « **Reply #8 on:** June 07, 2003, 09:14:54 AM »

Columbia 300, Track, and storm are the popular ones around here. Even though Columbia and track are basically the same company...
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My Bowling Clinic Site: http://channelsurfers.vze.com

Goof1073 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 07, 2003, 10:04:39 AM »

I think it all depends on the demographic you are dealing with. Some areas just want the "latest and greatest" like EXCALIBER mentioned. Other areas have more people who are into bowling and such will want what balls works the best for them. Other places are just...well, cheap and stocking top of the line balls isnt' a good idea. The only time my shop orders a case or multiples of a given ball is when we know we have people that want them. We've also gotten a lot better at making sure not to order to many of the high end balls. This is mainly because the mid price balls are just so good and it appeals to people's wallets a whole lot more.

I guess this is a tough thing making sure you have enough balls in stock, the right ones but not too many of anything. When my shop first opened he ordered a bunch of balls that took a long time to sell just because he didn't understand the market. Within a year or so any pro-shop operator should understand what works in his/her shop. Sure there are going to be balls that just won't sell...but that happens. I don't think the companies that keep coming out with equipment hurt us in the long run. But that's just the customer base we are working with.

Oh since some people brought this up: We sell mostly Ebonite and Storm in my area. Hammer's are starting to become more popular but Columbia and Brunswick are pretty flat in sales. I personally push Roto and Dynothane when it will match up with a person. We are in the works of getting Lane1 in our shop too...just not sure how well they will sell so are taking a very catious approach to them.

DP3 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 07, 2003, 12:02:47 PM »

All the companies are in this business to make money too and it's the consumer that are making bowling manufacturers million dollar companies. So I'm pretty sure all the companies out there could care less if the perfect fit proshop is moving their stock or not as long as they are still selling their product to the proshops.

jkiser01 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 07, 2003, 12:23:58 PM »

All,

The bottom line is, if we (the bowlers) wouldn't buy all the new stuff that comes out, they would stop coming up with all the new balls. I understand the ball manufacturers are in the business to make money, but it has gotten way out of hand.

Just my 2 cents..

JK

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #12 on:** June 07, 2003, 01:29:09 PM »

I agree totally. What I have been doing of late it to buy some used balls, plug them up and use them as my display balls since I cannot afford to keep all of the new stuff in stock.

Since I am a Storm VBIP Shop I normally will get their jumpstart special when they put the new balls out but I fiond the deals from Brunswick and Columbia to be way overpriced for what I can sell. Sure getting the new stuff the day it is released is great but how much good does it do when it sits on the shelf for 6 months?

Here in southern NY I sell mostly Storm balls now since I had been throwing them quite a bit along with the lane owner. I can't tell you when I sold a NIB Brunswick ball other than a Power Groove. The Columbias are OK(Ti Messengers well), I have a few Track heads and a few Hammer worshippers. Ebonite? Do they still even exist? I have not had a call for them in a LLLOONNGG time locally.

I shyed away from Brunswick when they became the "ball a month club" and saw Storm doing it right around the time they made the Eraser and Power Bolt. But now I see them doing the same exact thing...STOP IT PLEASE!!!!! I love Storm equipment and think that they still have some of the best stuff on the market but they are creating way too much overlap...is it really necessary for the CorePowers, X-Factors and the Erasers to all co-exist???

Ebonite will discontinue 15 balls from their line in a summer and then release 20 new balls to replace them...I don't get it.

I think Lane 1, Visionary, Dynothane and RotoGrip are doing things right with releasing a ball every couple of months. That works great since the balls that they release are generally filling in some gaps that show up.

Why introduce a ball just to replace one that you already have? Or worse yet (Columbia pay attention) why release a ball that's the same core and cover with just a different name???

How many shops out there have 24 hour shipping access to nearly any ball they need? I can guarantee 48 hours from the supplier to my shop for almost any current production ball...so why stock so much? Most of my in-house traffic are 1-2x a week bowlers. If it takes me 2 days to get a ball it is most likely that I can still have it drilled before they bowl again.

We, as pro shops, need to get together and tell the manufacturers enough is enough. Bowlers are getting confused and so are we. Let's do something about this!!!
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
www.dougsproshop.net
Think about it....pins are wood, lanes are wood...
the weapon of choice is obvious...
CUT 'EM UP BABY it's BUZZSAW TIME!!!

HamPster · « **Reply #13 on:** June 07, 2003, 01:40:01 PM »

Lol, Doug, I don't think Ebonite exists anymore. I've seen a couple Adrenalines and Aggressions around, but none that anybody buys from us. But yeah, people walk into the pro shop and see all the balls sitting on the wall, and then ask what the difference is. Let's see, this one has a few thousandths of a point higher rg, this coverstock is named something different from this one, and oh yeah, they're different colors too. Why discontinue something that works and replace it with some "new technology?" Let balls like the old Rhino, X-Zones, Triton Elites, 3D Offsets, and Quantums stick around. I've got a friend that's had a Danger Zone Special Edition and Red Alert Special Edition for 9 years, and they're still some of the best rolling balls to date. Sure you'll have a few truly good ones come along like the Inferno, X-Factor, and Blueberry C/2 being the most prominent examples recently, but bring some of the old stuff back, or try mixing old coverstocks and old cores up, who here besides those who are new to bowling don't have that one old ball that they can go to everytime they get into trouble?
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance. All the pins shall be destroyed!

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #14 on:** June 07, 2003, 02:11:58 PM »

Bring back the oldies...exactly. Maybe Ebo-Hammer ought to talk to Mo again about bringing back the Crimson Sledge and 3-D Offset cores with new covers...those were 2 of the best balls ever.

What about the Jade Piranha/C??? the Black Amber Zone? Purple Rhino Pro? Speed Zone Vapor? King Kobra (yeah I liked that one...about the only AMF ball I ever did)? Danger Zone? Quantum Helix? Blue Urethane Hammer? Jackhammer? Firepower?

There are a lot of balls I keep seeing on the lanes from the vintage era because they still work.

But then maybe I am just a retro-style kind a guy. I still think that the auto makers should do the same thing...can you imagine a 57 BelAir with the drivetrain and engine from a C-5 Corvette?? 1970 Chevelle SS with the engine from the SS454 Silverado? 1970 Cuda with a Viper engine?

Oh well...I guess we can dream...

--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
www.dougsproshop.net
Think about it....pins are wood, lanes are wood...
the weapon of choice is obvious...
CUT 'EM UP BABY it's BUZZSAW TIME!!!

Author Topic: PRO SHOPS: Manufacturers, STOP MAKING NEW BALLS! (Read 4304 times)

K_Korner

PRO SHOPS: Manufacturers, STOP MAKING NEW BALLS!

C-G ProShop-Carl

Re: PRO SHOPS: Manufacturers, STOP MAKING NEW BALLS!

wkf0908

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channel surfer

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Jerry Weller

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HamPster

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Black_Balled

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10 In The Pit

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channel surfer

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Goof1073

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DP3

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jkiser01

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Doug Sterner

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HamPster

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Doug Sterner

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