COMPLETE BOWLING SERVICE
NEWSLETTER
May 2010
NEWS SURROUNDING THE BUSINESS
Are we doing all we can? As we look at our businesses, it is too easy to blame the economy for any decreases in sales. Sometimes, it is too hard to look at ourselves and ask the tough questions. The Stock Market is rising again, exercise facilities are jammed, the mall lots area full, restaurants are all on a wait list and liquor sales are at near record levels. If all this is true, where are our bowlers? Maybe we should look at our marketing and deliver a good dose of it where they are. Maybe we need to change our offering to accommodate the things that they have not given up. If they feel they can justify a restaurant expense, then offer them a themed eating experience with an added benefit of bowling. If they need to keep in shape, give them a way to track the caloric burn of a game of bowling. And if they need a few drinks, make your center the place to hang out and have some fun. You all know that there are at least 5 things you can write down, right now, that you could be doing to better promote your business. Let’s get to work and get to our lists. Let’s make it a goal not to blame the economy but to place the burden of improvement on ourselves to go out and get the business vs letting it come to us. Remember back when your business first started? And you had to work your butt off to get it going? Now is that time again. No one else is going to do that for us. What is the fine for placing flyers on cars at the mall? If you gain $500 in business and they fine you $50 bucks, what is the real fine? If you have been waiting to upgrade your center, now is the time to make your business more attractive. Sometimes this reminds me of being married. As long as I was married, my wife and I took each other for granted and we both gained weight, occasionally did not shave, wore sweats to the grocery store etc. Once I was divorced and times got a little tough… I hit the gym, bought some new clothes and cleaned up my act. Just think of what might have happened if I had done the improvements before the hardship began? Maybe I would not have had to learn this lesson at all. So keep your center looking good and your customer service people smiling. Don’t take your customers for granted and create new success stories every day.
Orders for Complete Bowling Service can be called or emailed 24 hours a day. We have answering machines and email address for you to send in any order. The phone numbers are (800) 426-8789 for Kent and (800) 453-5288 for Provo. The email addresses are greg@cbsbowling.com, cbslgn@hotmail.com, cbsdwilson@aol.com, snowwhite38@hotmail.com Twinkles408@hotmail.com.
Last Chance!!! Kegel is in desperate need of some used machines. They are offering an extra $2500 above and beyond normal trade in on all corded wickless machines. Now is a great time to take advantage of this special. If you were planning on rebuilding your machine this summer, just getting a new one may be a great way to get this done. Talk to your CBS salesman today. This sale only lasts until the 15th of May!
HOW THEY RANK
Ball Ranking Report for April Sales 2010
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Ranking
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Ball
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1
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REIGN OF FIRE
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2
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MISSION
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3
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STORM INVASION
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4
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SLINGSHOT SILV/BLK
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5
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DARK STAR
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Average cost of a ball including plastic $ 63.65
BOWLING CENTER UPDATES
You should see the new flat screens at Lariat Bowl in Red Bluff Ca. and in Yosemite Lanes in Modesto Ca. Can't believe the difference they make. Congratulations to Ted Hoffman Jr. Proprietor of Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl. He will receive the Victor Lerner Award at this year’s Bowl Expo in Las Vegas. At the same time he will be inducted in to the BPAA Hall of Fame. Well deserved Mr. Hoffman, we look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas. Nob Hill in Yakima, WA has upgraded their lane machine to a new Kegel Ion. Michael and Shelly Weller, are the new owners and operators At Wheatland Bowl in Colfax, WA good luck and welcome to the industry. Mike Savoia has opened his own pro shop at Westside Lanes, Olympia WA. Riverside Lanes, Mt Vernon Wa has installed new flat screens for overhead monitors. Nice new look. Wayne and Terri Simpson plan to open the doors of the freshly remodeled KT’s Lanes in Emmett Idaho the second week of May. They have cleaned up and painted the inside while also installing refurbished A2 machines. Denny Brown of DNB Pro Shop has also become the manager of Chippers Lanes at Estes Park, he will continue running the pro shop at the Horsetooth center. Academy Lanes at the Air Force Academy has recently undergone some big changes, new Brunswick ProLane, a remodel of the concourse including new seating, and a new Lane Walker. They also have planned a nice Thunder Alley upgrade with many new lights. Mitchell Boothe is the new head mechanic of The Gutter Lanes in Logan, Utah. Shel Burns of Laramie Lanes in Laramie, Wyoming, has purchased a new Innovative Drill Press and is expanding his services as a pro shop under Adam Spinks.
Idaho BPAA will hold their annual meeting may 5-6 in Jackpot Nv.
Bowl Expo will be in Las Vegas Nv. June 27-July 1st. Complete Bowling Service will be a part of the Eagle Group Booth and you can find us in Booth # 420
In 2009 bowling showed growth for the 4th straight year in a row with 2009 being up 4.6% in consumer participation with nearly 70 million having bowled.
We have a great opportunity for your mechanic to be trained by some of the best from Brunswick. Complete Bowling Service will host a 5 day advanced pinsetter school in Twin Falls Idaho May 17-21. The cost is $895 for the 5 days and includes continental breakfast and lunch each day. This is a classroom and hands on training that will cover complete gearbox, clutch, detector and turret removal and replacement and electrical system. Please check the flyer enclosed, this school will be limited to the first 20 people signed up. This will keep the ratio of students to instructor at no more than 5 to 1 this is a great opportunity to get them the help and training they need to better service your customers.
You can now become a fan of Complete Bowling Service on Facebook and get weekly updates. Check it out!
MECHANICS CORNER
Pinsetter Parts are Not Always Created Equal
By: Vahn Stone
Just because parts look similar, doesn’t necessarily mean they are the same. Some manufacturers’ parts have a higher carbon content or stronger alloy than other manufacturers’. This means the parts are more durable and will last longer.
Then you have the issues of quality control. The first run of parts may be different then the next run, simply because the dialed settings are off or the placement in the jig or presser was wrong. A couple of 1/1000nths off can mean a part is bad but still looks good. Holes can be too small, bushings won’t fit, splines are too big, clutches won’t slide on to worm shafts, and so on. I could give you examples all day long because we see it in the field every day.
A good example is a solid one-piece main drive clutch pulley being made out of aluminum by an after- market company. The idea is good, but the soft aluminum in the pulley allows the rivets to come loose, allowing the frictional surfaces to twist and break. Then, once a month you have to remove the main drive clutch and re-rivet in the frictional surfaces again and again until they pull through, rendering the expensive pulley useless for a mere $10 savings.
Brunswick has a rigorous testing facility to check out the quality of their parts to make sure each run is still the same. They blueprint each part on every run so that they can maintain the highest quality parts they can produce. When you see other manufacturers selling their parts for less – there’s always a good reason. You don’t want to find that out too late!
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