There is a threat to the bowling landscape in Los Angeles

[fordman1]

No what I was saying is it takes one tenth as many workers today as it did 40 years ago. Automation took 3 out of four jobs. The others were outsourced. The new non union jobs don't pay enough for people to bowl and raise a family.

[Jessiewoodard57]

No what I was saying is it takes one tenth as many workers today as it did 40 years ago. Automation took 3 out of four jobs. The others were outsourced. The new non union jobs don't pay enough for people to bowl and raise a family.

And its only going to get worst as people cry out for a 15 dollar minimum wage you will see many jobs automate or leave for cheaper off shore work forces. the latest being fast food using automated ordertakers. and how about shipping chickens out of the USA to be processed and sent back to our supermarkets? 40 hour a week jobs are hard to come by now

[fordman1]

Jesse what is the tipping point where so many jobs have been shipped out and wages are so low that no body is left with enough money to buy the stuff made by slave kids in Asia?

[Jessiewoodard57]

when I lived in Lansing 25 years ago. 40% of every Chevy made at Fisher Body was foreign made. A real shame politics and back room deals

[Aslan]

If you're interested, and want an inside insight as to what's going on, check out this website/blog from a former PBA member. Micke Machuga tells it like it is, and in fact writes a warning on the top of the blog for people that can't handle the truth. It's a good read and it echoes a USBC board member I had a conversation with two years ago. check it out: http://www.machugabowling.com/blog/

The only problem I have with Machuga's article is he's heavily focused on how the game is letting down the pros. And from time to time, you hear pros complaining about there not being enough money in the sport, etc... But anyone that understands basic economics knows, there isn't going to be more money until there is more interest. There isn't going to be more interest until there is ?????????? <----That's the problem.

Some people say, "well, if there was more money in it, there'd be more interest." But you can't just create a 10 million dollar prize fund and hope that it spurs interest. Because if it doesn't, you've bankrupted the USBC, PBA, and numerous ball manufacturers.

I've offered opinions in the past about how to get to the next level. It's going to take something drastic...something to really elevate bowling visually in the mainstream...and a really solid grass roots effort with local schools to pry kids away from their comfy couches and video games. Until bowling really starts to think outside the box and really put some real effort into getting youth into the sport...and expanding the profit base of the manufacturers...and getting more competitive bowling out in front of the public...it's just gonna be a string of gimics.

And bowlmor is doomed to fail. They tout their great acheivements...but for every "happening Bowlmor success", there are a string of older AMF or Brunswick centers that were closed and sold off. And losing leagues is almost a complete killer to a center. I saw an AMF center that got bought by bowlmor and they put 10s of thousands of dollars into renovations and new scoring equipment...only to close the center months later...because when they changed the hours...they lost all of their daytime senior leagues...then they lost their evening leagues...now a company is building apartments or condos where the center used to be...and the private center not too far away is busy morning till night with all the leagues that came over from that center.

[fordman1]

When a corp. buys any business all they think about is the bottom line. Profit is the only goal. A family business owner can "just make a good living" and run a great center. They are not interest in getting rich jus make a living. Greed is what corp. are there for just like wall street.

[jimgilmore]

the one on long island that closed i think was maybe in great neck... going by memory and that is faulty at best. It was near the border of Queens and Long Iisland. I believe.

[Briantime]

When a corp. buys any business all they think about is the bottom line. Profit is the only goal. A family business owner can "just make a good living" and run a great center. They are not interest in getting rich jus make a living. Greed is what corp. are there for just like wall street.

Bunk.

I work for a fortune 100 company and spent the day yesterday on company time, while being paid, along with 200+ fellow employees working at local food banks to help those in need. How did that help the bottom line?

[classygranny]

Bunk.

I work for a fortune 100 company and spent the day yesterday on company time, while being paid, along with 200+ fellow employees working at local food banks to help those in need. How did that help the bottom line?

Same thing as marketing and advertising, and it promotes good will in customers and clients. No additional outlay of funds, just some lost work production which a big corporation doesn't see effecting the bottom line as much as an outlay of cash.

[got_a_300]

Same thing as marketing and advertising, and it promotes good will in customers and clients. No additional outlay of funds, just some lost work production which a big corporation doesn't see effecting the bottom line as much as an outlay of cash.

I'll have to agree with classygranny on this, now if they were paying you wages
and then furnishing the food to hand out then it would be a different story on the
greed of big corporation(s) bottom line.

They probably have or found a way to write it off on their taxes as a promotional
cost, marketing cost, and or advertising cost so it doesn't hurt the company profits.