pro shops getting you to buy new stuff

[noeymc]

ok so my friend is a 160 avg bowler his physical game is very lacking and i told him i would work on that first the pro shop guy at these lanes told him he should buy the new storm ball that just came out i get they are a business and try to sell the most expensive things they can push on to you i just dont get if i ran a shop i would try to build a report with everyone and earn there trust so that way when i do make a recommendation they would trust me if i told them to buy a 200 dollar ball not sure as to why people insist on buying the top 300 dollar bowling balls when you can get a good new older ball maybe a year old for 120-160 wouldnt it make sense to just take a step back and buy a older ball that is new so this is my warning to everyone do not let them push into a 250 dollar ball when u can get one that will do the same thing for half the cost you dont need to drop 200 dollars for a good even great ball but to each his own and its your money thanks for reading

[e-tank]

Agreed. Luckily my pro shop doesnt do this. To take the older balls to the more extreme, i still use a urethane from the 80's and a rhino pro from 1993 just fine. Obviously the newer equipment has more hook but as far as carry, i havent noticed a difference

[noeymc]

i meant new old by something a year old and never drilled =D

[vdubtx]

Where do you see $250-$300 balls? If you have a shop charging that, find a new shop they are gouging you.

[noeymc]

Where do you see $250-$300 balls? If you have a shop charging that, find a new shop they are gouging you.

i was just putting a example

[e-tank]

i meant new old by something a year old and never drilled =D

lol my too reckless is from 2011 if that counts :)

[dnhoffman]

Well, the pro-shop is a business and they have a couple if different options:

1) match customers up with the best equipment for that particular person (most definitely not the high performance top of the line for your 160 average friend) and build trust and credibility with their customer base.

Or

2) make as much money as possible up front and risk alienating their customer base.

I know I've hit a good pro shop when, in your friends position, they are steering me towards say, a track 300c solid, vice a new storm byte to use on my THS league... They want me to have reasonable expectations matched with a certain level of success and improvement that keeps me bowling, and coming back to them in the future.

If you feel pressured then go to another shop or purchase the ball you want online and have the pro shop drill it for you.

[Zaxmazr]

I'm glad that pro shops around here don't do this.

Recently my friends and I went to a local shop and picked out some new equipment. I knew mine was going to be expensive because that's what I wanted. However for my friend, he wasnt sure. But after watching us both bowl a game, the shop owner actually suggested balls in 3 different price ranges and basically said, "They're basically the same, it's your call."

After this, he gained 2 loyal customers.