Speaking from a person who has both an online shop AND a physical land based business I can tell you this....
1. A lower price tag is not always everything.
2. The customer service a local pro shop can offer is a valuable tool for you to use as a growing bowler. Notice I say "can be"....some pro shops I have been in are nothing more than guys with a drill press who want to make money...beware!!!
3. Online is your only choice on many occasions if you are looking for old, discontinued or hard to find items.
4. It is all but inmpossible for your local shop to stock one of everything....the $$$$ and space constraints are just unreal.
I am still a firm advocate of going to the local guys first. If the local guys are junk, by all means go elsewhere. The ability of an in-house to turn on a pair of lanes and have you throw a ball or 2 before and after drilling is a huge advantage. Not only can I get an accurate reading of your track, rev rate and PAP specs but also see your style. After the sale I can watch the bowler to see if the fit is what he needs, see if the ball reads the lane where it is supposed to, check the reaction and such. ALl of the post-purchase adjustments from me are free...sand, polish, bevel, change finger size or thumb size etc...but only if you buy the ball from me.
More than likely the reason the local guy is more expensive is because he cannot generate enough volume in sales to get the super deals that the online resellers do. Most online guys get hooked up with a major supplier and they work together to get a better price by buying direct from the manufacturer. The "little guy" just can't do that unless he gets some help from the local clientele.
As for my pricing, it's pretty standard but I think it's a great deal if you take advantage of the included benefits. Drilled and out the door pricing examples:
Storm Paradigm...$205
Ebonite The One...$195
Columbia EPX-T1...$215
Brunswick Power Grooves...$110
Columbia White Dots...$65
Lane 1 Tsunami...$205
Lane 1 XXXL...$134
Ebonite Big Time...$140
Included in the price are the following:
Drilling
Finger inserts
Thumb Slug
Free weekly cleanings
Surface adjustments
1/2 price replacement inserts
Coaching if needed to help with adjustments
Free emergency repair
Discounts on accessories if purchased at the same time
Entry into my incentive program (throw an honor score with the ball and receive a $50 gift certificate to my shop)
I also offer discounts based on the amount of product you have purchased from me over the last 6-12 months. You can bet your arse I am going to give the guy who buys 6 balls a year a price break....but that guy that buys a ball every 3 years is going to pay full price.
I don't know of ANY online seller that can offer that to the customers. I even extend this offer to people across the Net....you buy the ball from me, send me your specs, I'll drill it and ship it to you.
So as I said price isn't everything...service is. As a retail manager I have custoemr service drilled into my head on a daily basis and it is true...take care of your custoemrs and they will take care of you.
But if you want to talk price and why local is USUALLY (Not always but usually) more expensive you need to look no further than the following items:
1. Cost of stocking inventory...do you think that every pro shop owns all of what it has in stock...if you do, think again
2. Rent...many shops pay as much as $3-4000 per month in rent. I am fortunate and house owned shops don't pay but still it's there for most in 1 form or another.
3. Cost of doing business...most guys online use their computer and that's it. In addition to printer ink the local guy has the following: layout pencils and tools, polish, sandpaper, rags, invoice pads, drill spec pads, inserts to stock, interest being paid on their stock inventory, drill bits, drill bit sharpening, drilling equipment and maintenance, transportation to and from the pro shop, laundry (not only clothing but also rags, towels and polishing cloths), etc, etc etc....
What I can guarantee is this....you support the local guy and he'll take care of you. But if you bring in 5 balls per year off the Internet he'll charge you to drill them and you may come out ahead financially but I guarantee (unless he's good friend or something) that you won't get the top notch service and consideration as if you bought them there.
This is only my view but, again, I think I have a pretty good view since I am personally involved in all 3 aspects of this topic...customer, physical shop owner and an Internet site seller...
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Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
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