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So, basically we've been scammed our entire lives.

Yellowsnow51

Yellowsnow51

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Jun 25, 2025
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Went to bowling alley with a big group the other day and they said, "Shoes? We don't do shoes here unless you really want to wear them." I said, "You mean...they're not some majorly important thing I must have to walk on your precious wood over there?" They were like, "LOL...no."

So, that's it? 40 years of being told I have to pay for these shoes and now it's like "Naw...you're good. We were just messing with you."

This is like Al Gore Global Warming thing all over again.
 
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95Hawk

95Hawk

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Nov 21, 2001
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You mean Bruce may be out of a job?


 
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THE_DEVIL

THE_DEVIL

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Yellowsnow51 said:
It’s a write off for them!
Click to expand...
Being serious for a moment.
The industry is at a crossroads. Most of the bowling alleys are operating on 50 year old machinery that needs to be replaced. The cost to replace lanes and pinsetters is unaffordable for small town alleys. Converting to string pins which is somewhat affordable in these locations is not an option. The old schools bowlers will/would quit rather than bowl on string pins. Most have at least one or two refinances on the books running into hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. And that is just keeping the doors open and not upgrading.

Part #2
Now throw in a monopoly by one company that is buying up alleys that are successful. It truly is the definition of monopoly. This company is basically being run as a private equity all though it is public traded. They buy up the profitable alleys because most owners can get out of the business not losing money.

Part #3
Now the monopoly company with no competition obviously cares about profit. Those shoes need replaced every year to year and a half. That is something that would be considered excessive. Its cheaper to wipe down dirty lanes at the end of the night than replace bowling shoes.
It is 100% a safety issue.

So one hand you have cost cutting to wring out every dollar possible and the other hand a companies that are running on a really tight margin.
 
Yellowsnow51

Yellowsnow51

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Jun 25, 2025
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Im not detective or anything but something tells me @THE_DEVIL is somehow way more involved in the bowling industry than most of us first suspected. Never pictured the Dark Lord agonizing over a Panther oil pattern causing him to live on the Brooklyn side.
 
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THE_DEVIL

THE_DEVIL

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Rifler said:
^^^THIS^^^
I wouldn't even attempt to throw a serious ball in "tennis" shoes...
Click to expand...
The shoe is not the issue. It is people wearing shoes with crap on them that makes approaches either too sticky or too slick. I believe the bowling shoe was originally an insurance mandate.
 
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L

LuteHawk

Freshman
Nov 30, 2011
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At one time, the life blood of the bowling alleys was the men's leagues
on week nights (Monday thru Thursday). They had a guaranteed income
because of these leagues from September to May. However, in the 21st
century, bowling is not a popular sport anymore for men. Bowling alleys
are being closed due to lack of income.
 
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