Author Topic: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............ (Read 2656 times)

nd300 · « **on:** January 01, 2008, 04:07:39 AM »

There was a reference made in a previous post to the automobile industry being able to survive doing business the way they do,and a question posed as to why proshops can't do business that way.
It's simple.........the auto manufacturers don't release 5 or 6 balls per year.When the auto industry releases a car/truck that works well and lasts,people buy it,take care of it,and drive it till the wheels fall off.
Newer coverstocks don't last near that long,regardless of cleaning. Maybe a couple of years at best before the ball doesn't react anymore,oil conditions change,or,God forbid,it gets stolen,which seems to be happening more frequently.
Auto engines die,and can be replaced.Balls can and do crack,and when they do,it's over.We need a replacement.Ergo,new ball(s).
Small proshops can't keep up inventory because of the constant new releases.Today's hot seller becomes tomorrow's boat anchor.Why?

The Internet.............
Bowlers,new and experienced,read about or see the newest release and want it yesterday.Proshops can't stock new inventory that fast.If they order it through their pro shop,it'll take 3-5 days to get it.If they order it online,they can get it in 1-3 days,and have the option of paying for overnight shipping.
That's where pro shops lose....
The bad news is that some orders don't get the specs wanted on the balls. That's where the local pro shop does have an advantage.You might have to wait extra time,but you will get the specs you want. You might also have to wait for drilling depending on yours and your driller's schedules allowing for a time for fitting/drilling/adjusting.In the end,you get what you want.
Online pro shops can get the drilling exactly to your specs,but as has been stated,they can't see you throw the ball to suggest coverstock adjustments.You can't talk to them about local lane conditions and what ball to buy,or a drilling pattern to fit in your arsenal.
We all saw the boom and bust of the dot com industry when the Internet got going. When internet balls first started showing up in proshops,no one thought it would last because of the above described happening.Distributors began to realize that they could keep up with the new releases from manufacturers by selling on the Internet.Pro shops began to see problems in stocking new releases because of the pricing deals available on the Net.Smaller shops began to struggle,and many have closed as we've read about on here.
Small pro shops like the ones in my area will and have begun to adjust to the changing conditions in today's business environment.Personally,the shop I use has gone from $20 to $50 to $75 to drill internet balls. That's the new cost of doign business in the Internet age we now live in.
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Chris
Lane#1--nothing else hits like 'em.

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2008, 12:17:40 PM »

quote:
Personally,the shop I use has gone from $20 to $50 to $75 to drill internet balls.

Time to start looking for another way to get bowling balls drilled! I'd stop bowling before I'd allow that shop to TAKE ADVANTAGE of me!
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

nd300 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 01, 2008, 12:34:59 PM »

Joe,
Great point.Thing is,I forgot to mention in my original post to talk about the occasional warranty issues that can and do pop up.If you get a ball from the net,you have to go to the manufacturer,send them the ball,wait for them to reply,then wait for a replacement ball.
At the shop that I mentioned,warranty issues are taken care of immediately,and they can get you a replacement ball in 1-2 days,not 2-4 weeks.
Also,I'd have to travel a MINIMUM of 2 hours(one way)to find a certified driller.While I don't have a problem doing it,finding the time in my schedule to do it is almost impossible.
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Chris
Lane#1--nothing else hits like 'em.

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2008, 12:44:31 PM »

From my point of view .. warranty issues don't come up that often .. the travel time you talk too is a problem .. considerations .. how often do you have to make the trip?

If you ACCEPT the increase in charges without a fight .. you loose .. and I'll bet a few other bowlers will also ..dispute it will make the shop THINK (unless he wants to continue to see his business disappear)
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

JOE FALCO · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:03:55 PM »

BZ .. if you wish to pay it .. good for you!
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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

Smash49 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:04:00 PM »

Drill prices will end up going up due to the reduction of income from the bowling ball. Also there are cost of living adjustments to be made. Haircuts are no longer $2.50. In order to keep the doors open of a Pro Shop the operator needs to be sharp at buying, manage his inventory and watch the things that needlessly cost him money. If that means the price of somethings going up, they most likely will. Sure I would guess the things that are more difficult for the internet to do would be the things that would go up in price. The industry is in a very ugly state at the moment.

Smash49
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Smash49

Slick, tacky, wood or synthetic it does not matter your slide is correct with Bowlers Slide Sock. The Finest Slide Sock on the Planet!!!
www.bowlersslidesock.com
www.strikingcatbowling.com

Smash49 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:14:10 PM »

I forgot to add that one of the byproducts of this is quality of the Pro Shop business person will increase. Be prepared to pay for the quality. There will also most likely be a bunch of low ball drillers trying to be the cheapest. Be prepared for that too. In the best shops you will find a different kind of business person than in the past.

Smash49
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Smash49

Slick, tacky, wood or synthetic it does not matter your slide is correct with Bowlers Slide Sock. The Finest Slide Sock on the Planet!!!
www.bowlersslidesock.com
www.strikingcatbowling.com

Edited on 1/1/2008 2:14 PM

Edited on 1/1/2008 2:14 PM

1MechEng · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:15:47 PM »

Out of curiosity - does anyone have an actual data figure for the number of sales lost to the internet e-tailers by local pro shops in the last year? Three years? I'm guessing that one of the distributors reading this post would have to be willing to provide some insight on the trends - and I really hope that they do.

Is it possible that we have made incorrect assumptions about the effect on pro shops? Perhaps there are actually more balls are being purchased because of the internet, shorter coverstock life (no proof to this personally), or because people feel they need an arsenal to bowl well?

I'd hate to think we are going through this discussion by basing everything on incorrect facts.
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Dan
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Engineering * Bowling = a fun and practical application of rotational kinematics.

charlest · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:37:10 PM »

quote:
Out of curiosity - does anyone have an actual data figure for the number of sales lost to the internet e-tailers by local pro shops in the last year? Three years? I'm guessing that one of the distributors reading this post would have to be willing to provide some insight on the trends - and I really hope that they do.

In another thread someone posted that 72% of new balls are nowsold by pro shops. I do not know if that is true or not. It is not unreasonable.

but I'd bet that distributors are NOT willing to tell you to whom they sold how many balls.

quote:

Is it possible that we have made incorrect assumptions about the effect on pro shops? Perhaps there are actually more balls are being purchased because of the internet, shorter coverstock life (no proof to this personally), or because people feel they need an arsenal to bowl well?

I'd hate to think we are going through this discussion by basing everything on incorrect facts.
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Dan
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Engineering * Bowling = a fun and practical application of rotational kinematics.

SO would I. Remember there is still a special segment that does all this internet buying. As many people as access the internet, not all those who are bowlers and have access to the internet, purchase their balls online. A lot of people still ONLY go thru their pro shops.

My driller is thrilled when I bring a blank in for him to drill. No stocking, no waranty issues, no exchanges, no hassles. He weighs it, checks the top weight and then drills. Bing, bang, boom. In and out in 20 minutes.
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"None are so blind as those who will not see."
Unofficial Ballreviews.com FAQ

1MechEng · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2008, 01:41:37 PM »

Charlest -
I'm not asking for a listing of total dollars to this pro shop or that pro shop by XYZ distributor, I'm justing looking for a rough approximation - i.e. 2006 sales was more than this year by 10%, etc. The answer could be done in general terms to avoid compromising their proprietary sales data.
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Dan
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Engineering * Bowling = a fun and practical application of rotational kinematics.

Mike Austin · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2008, 10:33:05 AM »

BZach, Smash49 very nice. Well said. This is an industry, a business.

The more drillers that go out of business, the more monopoly over the local pro shop business the remaining operators will have. Prices will go up. Supply and demand. A pro shop run as a business has a level of price they have to charge to stay in business, if they are doing less sales, they have to charge more per sale. Supply and demand.

One thing that is lost in the internet/pro shop topics: Everyone talks about losing ball sales. I didn't care so much about that. I had more people bring in internet balls to get drilled than I lost in sales. They have to get the ball drilled somewhere. $30-$70 in fees for drilling a ball I didn't inventory is okay with me, but I could not make a living off those balls alone. What nobody is talking about is shoes and bags. The number of sales of those items are what plummeted! Yes, no labor involved, but easier profit. Pro shops were doing much better when everybody bought there bags and shoes there too.

Pro shops that deliver on service are not taking advantage of you. They are giving service and expertise that is not readily available. If you as the consumer think the price is too high, shop elsewhere. If a Mercedes is too expensive, you buy a Toyota. But then, you don't look down on Mercedes as "taking advantage" of people. Why do you do this with pro shops? If I am better than my competition, have more knowledge, give better service, ultimately make you bowl better, why should I not get paid properly for that service?

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Author Topic: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............ (Read 2656 times)

nd300

Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

JOE FALCO

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

nd300

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

JOE FALCO

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

JOE FALCO

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

Smash49

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

Smash49

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

1MechEng

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

charlest

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

1MechEng

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............

Mike Austin

Re: Pro shops,pricing and the Internet............