Bowlers Journal International - November 2008 - (Page 122) Business Industry Updates and Insight SHOP TALK ing competitor may avoid. One of the world’s most visible shop owners, Jeff McCorvey, has been quoted as saying he tries to put pressure on distributors who sell to, and lend legitimacy to, garage operations. He says he’s gotten some to remove the names of such operators from their Web sites. But there are doubts that many price-only customers give much credence to these listings anyway. Jeff Lust, owner of Fiesta Pro Shop, also in Columbus, says the flap over the now partially-banned homedriller was overblown. He has more of a problem with shops “that aren’t qualified.” In any event, he says he fights deep discount drilling fees by offering service a customer can’t get in a less than toprate shop. Lust has attended several training seminars, and is set to become that city’s first IBPSIA-certified tech. The issue, of course, is related to deep discount pricing on the internet. And the legitimate shop owners agree that the best defense is to offer a truly superior service and products that give the customer real value, not just low price. “If you run your business well, it’s not a big problem,” says Edis. Van Gundy says it’s important to provide that extra touch (such as watching the customer throw the ball before and after the purchase), something that a home-driller can’t do economically. Feelings are mixed on how much business home drillers are taking from true shops, but it’s certainly one more concern in an increasingly challenging business, something that should be on every PSO’s radar. Pro Shop Entrepreneurs Come in All Shapes, Sizes and Garages Home-drillers can be a problem when they promote. BY DENNIS BERGENDORF IT WOULDN’T BE TOO DIFFICULT to list the top problems facing pro shops with a new bowling season underway. Aggressive internet pricing. A declining league base. The economic downturn. Fewer participants willing to invest in becoming better bowlers. And just-in-time inventory control at some distributors, leading to back orders. But one big stealth problem is competition from the guy who drills balls out of his garage or basement at bargain-basement rates. Typically, this operator has virtually no overhead. He (it’s almost always a man) has no ball wall, no back room jammed with inventory. In fact, he probably doesn’t even sell shoes or bags. He just orders balls off the internet, or drills up what a customer brings in (usually bought off the Web), and drills them for less than half what a real shop charges — and sometimes much less. In many cases, the true pro shops have forged an uneasy truce with these privateers (would a better word be “pirates?”). Dave Edis, owner of King Pin Pro Shop in Covina, Calif., shrugs, saying he knows of only a couple of basement drillers in his area, and that they don’t do enough balls to put a dent in his bottom line. Others, though, are outraged. The situation in Columbus, Ohio, became so strained that several shops got together to pressure centers and at least one distributor to put the brakes on one home-driller. Greg Van Gundy, owner of Ye Olde Pro Shoppe in Columbus Square Bowling Palace, says the guy was actually going into a particular center handing out business cards (although that assertion is in dispute). In any event, the private driller is no longer welcome in that center. Van Gundy says his shop is impacted by that driller and a second man, both of whom have full-time jobs and drill only as a hobby. Van Gundy says he has no real problem with a retired PSO continuing to drill for a few friends, but he draws the line at guys who actively seek business by offering labor at a rate Van Gundy can’t even touch. Juan Cordova, operator of Just One Time in Albuquerque’s Lucky 66 Lanes, says while his shop hasn’t been impacted yet, he has his eye on such a retired driller, who is rumored to be setting up a press in his basement. “He could be a problem if he undercuts [the prevailing rate for services].” Plus, Cordova pays $150 a year for a city business license, something his home drill- Greg Van Gundy, here waiting on a customer, put the brakes on one garage driller who solicited business at his center. 122 Bowlers Journal International | November 2008 www.bowlersjournal.com http://www.bowlersjournal.com
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