Bowling... when did it get so expensive?

Bowling... when did it get so expensive?

by Liv | Published on March 4th, 2009, 1:38 pm | Sports

I haven't been bowling in like... err... a millenia, so when we decided to go yesterday because the kids were out of school it seemed like a cheap, affordable fun day..... Now it's been a while but last time I remember, You'd pay $1.50 per game for up to like 6 peoples and shoe rental was about the same....

Nope the cost? Almost $60.00 once we got done for two games. Seriously... like, W. T. F???

I mean, it's not as like bowling as a sport is all that in demand... furthermore this was 10am on a Tuesday morning while Greensboro sat snowed in.... again I repeat my previous sentiment of WTF?

What's more disconcerting is this isn't some fancy new fangled bowling facility but the old 20 year old AMF center on Holden. It's run down, worn out and a bit creepy because as we walked in we heard Jesus songs playing in the parking lot... Our guess is there must be a church nearby... but we were quite concerned about "us" showing up to a bowling alley with God's music playing in the air....

The shoes for 2 adults and 2 kids came to $16.00, the 2 games came to $30.00. Shan bought the kids a soda and a popcorn with cash... for about another $10.00....

I could have taken the kids to Celebration Station, or Chucky Cheese, got dinner, and several beers for what I paid to roll a huge ball down the lane a few times....

Needless to say... I won't be going back.

uh...

www.coupons4greensboro.com

Seriously, bowling coupons can be found in just about any paper. Many of them 2 for 1 deals. You may have been the only one that night to pay retail. :cry:

They gave us coupons when we left.... which say "family night" is $47.00 for four...

Errr... not a deal... IMHO....

Bowling should be like $10.00 for a family to do.. not $40.... OMG!

Like, who has that kind of money? Seriously... Perhaps it's where I place bowling on the many levels of fun and exciting things to do...

For instance... going to the movies... during the middle of the day for a first run is about 6.50 a person.... That's 25.00... and movies give you two hours of fun, which even if you add the popcorn and soda in ($10.00) bringing it to $35.00 that's $17.50 an hour for fun compared to Bowling's $30.00 per hour...

I'd understand it if it was league night.... but um... it wasn't.

Bowling coupons: http://www.coupons4greensboro.com/cgi-b ... at=Bowling

BOGO: http://www.coupons4greensboro.com/cgi-b ... 1227064355

Bowling can be very expensive. So can the movies. I took my little girl and a couple of her friends to see a movie a while back and I paid over $55 for the trip. I had to re-adjust my spending after that. I went to Carmike over by Wendover a few weeks ago to catch a flick and they wanted $7 for Nachos and small popcorn was around$5. Those are crazy prices especially for a 2nd rate theatre. I didn't buy any and the wife and I went to Longhorn afterwards and got a couple of nice appetizers for the same price.

God dam, bowling is expensive.

I wonder how much of that expense is going to the new-fangled technology that has gone into bowling over the years. I remember the days of keeping your own score and the card being shined over the lane. But it seems to me that they would have recouped the cost, since most bowling allies I've been in look as if they have been there at least a decade.

I wish I could get into bowling more. I think joining a league would be the way to go since you can either get free or reduced cost practice on league nights (which seems like every night.) Oh, and you won't catch me at the bowl in the dark nights. Too many teens running around and way too much bad music. :violin:

And as of now, way to pricey for the amount of return you get on your "investment."

What's really amazing is how Greensboro can support so many bowling alleys... I can think of 3 in my head within 2-3 miles of each other....