Etiquette...

[Phonetek]

It's been a while since we've had an etiquette discussion. At this center I see that the leagues are very good about it and open bowlers are hit or miss. Since we typical had at least 2 pairs between leagues and open play, I get very few issues between the two.

During open play I get my share of good bowlers coming to practice and my share of the casual out for a good time bowlers. We do our best to separate them if possible. It's not always possible though.

As most of you are primary serious bowlers who all likely practice etiquette, how to you deal with non compliance?

Do you...

1. Give them a dirty look going they will understand?

2. Set an example by stepping off the approach when you see them out of the corner of your eye?

3. Slam you ball back on the return and huff and puff hoping they notice?

4. Scream at them telling they are rude and threaten that you will stab them with a broken beer bottle of they do it again?

5. Go to the counter and get staff to give them a taking to?

6. Go politely go talk to them and educate how things are supposed to work?

7. Ignore them?

8. Get annoyed and leave?

9. Text Boatman to come over packing?

10. Something else?

Comments?

[RobLV1]

#2 or #6

[boatman37]

It's been a while since we've had an etiquette discussion. At this center I see that the leagues are very good about it and open bowlers are hit or miss. Since we typical had at least 2 pairs between leagues and open play, I get very few issues between the two.

During open play I get my share of good bowlers coming to practice and my share of the casual out for a good time bowlers. We do our best to separate them if possible. It's not always possible though.

As most of you are primary serious bowlers who all likely practice etiquette, how to you deal with non compliance?

Do you...

1. Give them a dirty look going they will understand?

2. Set an example by stepping off the approach when you see them out of the corner of your eye?

3. Slam you ball back on the return and huff and puff hoping they notice?

4. Scream at them telling they are rude and threaten that you will stab them with a broken beer bottle of they do it again?

5. Go to the counter and get staff to give them a taking to?

6. Go politely go talk to them and educate how things are supposed to work?

7. Ignore them?

8. Get annoyed and leave?

9. Text Boatman to come over packing?

10. Something else?

Comments?

I like #9 myself but hey...l...lol

Actually ran into that tonight. Went to a new center I had never been to. 52 lanes and it was packed. No leagues, just fun leisure bowlers. On both sides of me I had 'rookies' that would walk up and start their approach after I was already lined up and ready. A couple of times I was just starting to take my first step when I saw them go right by me and throw. I chalk it up as they are amateurs there to have fun. I just stopped and get re-set and started again. The times I noticed they were ready to go I stepped back and told them to go ahead. They were nice people as I chatted with them a little but they just didn't know any better. So I say #2 and #7

[classygranny]

#2, #7, and #8 if I'm so done with it I'm not accomplishing anything of value

[SRB57]

#2 and 7. On our leagues it's one lane courtesy (in the by laws) but it is really 2 lanes. I get use to who is around me and know who will cut me and wait if needed. The ones that kill me who are the ones that are very inconsistent on the time they take one time they go right up and the next they take forever. Steve

[Phonetek]

I didn't mean this post to read like a poll but I guess it works.

I was remembering how I first learned lane etiquette. I was 5 and I went to work with mom who tended bar at a 50 lane bowling center at the time.

I remember begging the counter guy who actually was rather a jerk to let me bowl. They had leagues going on at the time so he wouldn't let me. They only had 4 lanes that were unused.

My mom told me, "I bet if you grabbed that trash can and went down the lanes and threw away empty beer bottles and emptied the ash trays he'd let you bowl."

Bored, desperate and wanting to bowl I did what mom had suggested. I mean I was ready to bowl, had my ball and my bowling shirt on! I hated every minute of it but the plan worked. He put me on the lane farthest away of the 4 which was 50 and I started bowling.

I remember thinking, I gotta impress these guys! I don't know why I thought that but I did. I hadn't yet learned the 4 step approach so I was pretty Fred Flintstone about it. I still held my own on my junior prep league though. Mind you, nobody on a prep league practiced lane courtesy, it was just grab and go!

So there I was and I just picked up the 1-2-4-7 and a man from the league came up to me. I was all ready to hear some praise about how great it was that I just picked up a tough spare. Instead I got a taking to about how I was walking up at the same time as he was and he sounded like the adults on Charlie Brown.

I can still remember his face to this day. He wasn't particularly mean about it but when I was expecting praise and I got that, it was a sort of a punch in the gut. When you're 5 anyone speaking reason seems mean. I did however listen to what he said and I backed off the approach or gave the head nod the rest of the night.

I bowled 9 games that night and I bowled my personal best high game of a 183! It was my first 4 bagger! I still have the score sheet, well my mom does. She showed it to my son on Christmas which is what made me remember this story. It was Feb 2,1976. Mom's a pack rat with that stuff.

At the end of the night after I was done, the man who gave me the stern talking to came up to me and his teammates and he said "Thank you for listening to me. I can tell you're going to be a great bowler some day, don't give it up!"

I of course showed them all the score sheet, particularly the 183 that was sandwiched in the middle of a bunch of 110's and 120's. They all have me high fives and hand shakes.

I learned two things that night. First was lane courtesy. Second, that adults got a kick out of watching little kids who really try to learn to bowl and it was fun being a little kid impressing them.

My mom remembers the jerk at the counter announcing my score over the intercom but I don't remember that. She said he didn't call me by name, he said "Jill the bartenders son on lane 50 with a 183." I don't remember that but I'll take her word on it. Mom did confirm the counter guy Pat or Pete was in fact a jerk, it wasn't just my perspective as a little kid.

How did YOU learn lane courtesy??

[Ryster]

#6 never works regardless of how nice you try to be. The typical response around here is "we are trying to have fun and have paid good money to be here. Go f--- yourself."

So now we either ignore the offenders, or if it is really bad we finish our game and just leave.

The bowling center doesn't have any interest in teaching bowling etiquette. They simply want the customer's money and do not want to risk any loss of revenue by telling the customer how to behave around other bowlers.

[Phonetek]

#6 never works regardless of how nice you try to be. The typical response around here is "we are trying to have fun and have paid good money to be here. Go f--- yourself."

So now we either ignore the offenders, or if it is really bad we finish our game and just leave.

The bowling center doesn't have any interest in teaching bowling etiquette. They simply want the customer's money and do not want to risk any loss of revenue by telling the customer how to behave around other bowlers.

I personally disagree, at least where I've worked and work if a customer asks to say something to someone who is disrupting their experience I have no issue with it. When I have it usually works. They don't tell me to go f*** myself. They may snicker when I walk away but I'll make it known I'm watching afterward and they behave.

I mean I don't just watch for people randomly who aren't complying and go talk to them all. I have other things to do. If a customer brings it to my attention I certainly will extend that olive branch for them.

[Ryster]

I personally disagree, at least where I've worked and work if a customer asks to say something to someone who is disrupting their experience I have no issue with it. When I have it usually works. They don't tell me to go f*** myself. They may snicker when I walk away but I'll make it known I'm watching afterward and they behave.

I mean I don't just watch for people randomly who aren't complying and go talk to them all. I have other things to do. If a customer brings it to my attention I certainly will extend that olive branch for them.

If we ask our center to say something, they shrug and just say there isn't anything they can do. If they have an open lane away from the offenders they will possibly move you but otherwise they don't get involved.

We got into a fight with someone next to us one time. Their kids kept running up and drifting into our approach and a few times almost ran into us. We politely asked the dad to ask his kids to be careful because we didn't want anyone to get hurt. The dad told us to leave his family alone and not "ruin his day". He then proceeded to verbally insult my mother who was bowling with us. It just escalated from there and he complained to the center that we were bullying him. The center knew us since we are regular customers and knew we would never bully anyone.

Every area has different clientele I guess. But around here people are very stubborn and don't take kindly to any type of interactions outside of the group of people they are with at the time.

Groups of teenagers, in particular, are very disrespectful. I witnessed an incident at a fast food place where a teenage girl from the local Catholic school was sitting at a booth with her friends. A woman approached her and very politely said "Excuse me miss, but your uniform skirt is bunched up and your underwear is showing. There are some men in here staring and saying some concerning things and I just wanted to let you know."
The teenage girl looked at the woman and literally said "Mind your own f----ing business and leave us the f---- alone!". The woman immediately gathered her own young children and left.

It's just the way our area is these days.

[J Anderson]

#6 never works regardless of how nice you try to be. The typical response around here is "we are trying to have fun and have paid good money to be here. Go f--- yourself."

So now we either ignore the offenders, or if it is really bad we finish our game and just leave.

The bowling center doesn't have any interest in teaching bowling etiquette. They simply want the customer's money and do not want to risk any loss of revenue by telling the customer how to behave around other bowlers.

So the center doesn’t want to risk losing the money from selfish idiots, but is just fine with decent people cutting their bowling short because of the actions of the selfish idiots. Just another business that does not understand where its interest really lies.