Doug,
  I know you were looking for customer input but here is mine.  I made that move 4 months ago.  The main reason for the change was customer based.  The labor include in the price the customer is paying taxes on labor.  By delete it they save a couple of dollars.
  Plus it looks cheaper on the self.  Marketing
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OLI - USAF Retired and Pro Shop Operator

Doug,

My driller charges me (a preferred customer) $40 above what he pays for a ball for drilling & thumb & finger inserts. If I bring in a ball (which he prefers because he does not have to order it), he charges me the same $40, $35 if I bring in my own inserts. I had 3 balls drilled the other day; he charged me $100 flat.

Seems reasonable - as long as you charge the same for balls bought elsewhere.
For example - if I buy a ball off ebay, I can bring it for you, and you drill it for $35 ($10 upcharge),
$8 for inserts,
$5 for a slug.
Whaddya think???

Some of the pro shops around here are charging $60 +slugs and inserts to drill a ball they don't sell, regardless of where it was purchased...

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Bowling? Of course it's a sport.

Sounds like you and my boss are in the same boat, Doug.  People around here are cheap and want something for nothing.  I don't know why the boss doesn't like drilling balls that people buy online, then he doesn't have to order the ball and deal with the people that much.  They bring in a ball, you drill it, end of story.  The ball isn't what he makes the money on anyway.  I can't see how you afford to keep yourself in business with that low of a price though.  We sell the high performance stuff for 189.99 before grips, a slug, or tax.  It ends up being 220 all total, if the customer uses grips and a slug.  And that price is still below retail, which doesn't even include drilling.  Our price only includes drilling, because we have almost as many people that don't use grips and a slug as ones that do.  That sounds like a good system though.  I'll have the boss look it over.
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Forget Kung Fu, I know Ron Bahr!!!

The only difference between youth and adult leagues are that the big boys are allowed to whine.  They're more entertaining anyway.

Yeah, but my boss can hardly afford to keep the shop open.  The expenses are more than the income, and sometimes he has to use his "real" paycheck, lol, to make up for the losses.  I can't see ANYONE using a pro shop for a primary means of income, but it's hardly working for my boss as a side-business.
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Forget Kung Fu, I know Ron Bahr!!!

The only difference between youth and adult leagues are that the big boys are allowed to whine.  They're more entertaining anyway.