$1

Need proper profiling

I'm not sure if anyone has actually properly profiled the general pool hall playing public. What is the percentage of the different publics (by table use) - cheapsters, buddies out for a night, dedicated practicers, money-gamers, deep-pockets, etc.

Once those numbers are known, it would help to do in-depth interviews with several from each group - understand their pool motivators, why they play, why not more table time, etc. Collect opinions on various venues (tournaments, leagues, etc.) that could encourage increased player activity.

I see the results of a lot of business surveys, user surveys, etc. - but none of them are actually sit down for an hour an perform an indepth analysis of the different types of players.

I'd like to see this type of effort done on a major scale, covering regions (rural, suburb, cities, etc.). The current "market" analysis is too shallow.
 
Maniac said:
I hope your thread is intended for those who frequent the poolhalls regularly yet rarely spend a dime. I've seen 'em a hundred times. They come in, get their free rack of balls (because they're league players playing out of that poolhall), and ask the waitress for a glass of water. They never drop one single penny during their three or four hour stay there.

Me, I'm in there twice a week and buy food AND drinks. I also tip the wait staff about 30%. I average spending around $25 dollars a night, $35-$40 on the night my wife is with me. I'm doing MY part to keep the place open so I really find it kind of insulting that someone would think I need to pay more.

Maniac (helps keep pool/billiard suppliers in business too!!!)
Click to expand...
What you said is one of the misconceptions of a business like a pool room. You may appear to be the better customer because you spend $25.00 twice a week but in reality the guy who comes in 7 days a week, often several times a day and looks like he never spends anything in reality out spends you around 2 to 1. The average everyday customer will spend around $300 to $400 a month.

They are also more dependable as customers and are the ones who really pay the rooms bills. The player who may come in twice a week, may also not come around for a month or disappear altogether. They represent a turnover, customers who come and go but can't be depended on. The everyday customer usually has friends in the room as well and they augment each other as customers, each coming in maybe because the other is there. This, if you are lucky, can work exponentially as you build a regular customer base.
 
macguy said:
What you said is one of the misconceptions of a business like a pool room. You may appear to be the better customer because you spend $25.00 twice a week but in reality the guy who comes in 7 days a week, often several times a day and looks like he never spends anything in reality out spends you around 2 to 1. The average everyday customer will spend around $300 to $400 a month.

They are also more dependable as customers and are the ones who really pay the rooms bills. The player who may come in twice a week, may also not come around for a month or disappear altogether. They represent a turnover, customers who come and go but can't be depended on. The everyday customer usually has friends in the room as well and they augment each other as customers, each coming in maybe because the other is there. This, if you are lucky, can work exponentially as you build a regular customer base.
Click to expand...

As a former room owner, I disagree with this completely.

Ball bangers and groups of kids kept my room open. The "regulars" want free time, and free coffee, and daily specials, new felt 3 times a year, and want to whine when they win some money and have to cover the losers time.

Not every room is the same, but those making money have bars, and cater to the general public. There barely any rooms making money that cater to "players' and tournaments.

i had guys play sets in my room for well over $1000, and then expect to not have to pay table time because "people were watching". Yes, other cheap pool players were watching, and also not spending a dime.

I gave up on my room, when one of my "regulars" *****ed that the FREE coffee wasn't fresh enough. He had not spent a dime that day, and had just stopped to $shit up the bathroom and grab a free coffee.

Please, don't think I am looking for an argument, but i know many, many room owners that suffered from the same issues. Trust me, I wish it wasn't this way, but in my experiences it has been. I love pool, and I miss a lot of my guys, but you couldn't pay me to open another pool room.
 
Brain71 said:
If you scroll down on the main page it shows that the most peolple on AZ at one time was over 2800 viewers. That means at any given time there are at least 2000 people on AZ. Just a guess anyway. What if once a month we all pledge $1 to help pool rooms around the country? My idea is to Paypal it to a AZ member, (I nominate Marcus -FAST_N_LOOSE-), let him decide where to send it. They can use it for tournaments, help with anything they need. I'm just tired of rooms closing. Here in Columbia we have had 2 good rooms close in the past 2 years. We're down to 1 pool room, Gradys. It's doing well. They are cleaning up the place and have graet turnouts for tournaments and league. But it's a shame. How many of you out there miss your regular room due to closings? Just a thought. I don't think $1 is too much to ask.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the confidence in me, and I would surely do what I could to organize something like this. I can see the conviction in your idea, and your heart is in the right place, but like was said above, a small cash infusion won't save a failing pool hall. It's a shame, but it's true. I loved my room, but a few thousand couldn't have convinced me to keep it open.

Second issue is, I have a Paypal business account, and would have to pay income tax if it would come to me in Paypal. (Over 20k in annual income and paypal automaticly reports to the IRS) I can't pay income tax on something like this. If we can come up with another way, I would certainly listen to ideas.
 
scsuxci said:
I see a lot of different views on this so this is mine.Pool is recreation
to most,something most people do while hammered at a nite-club,
trying to pick up women or visa-versa.
I know people that have a pool table in there house as a accessory and
don't even play the game.
Pool generates certain people and certain amounts of business that
comes and goes week by week,month by month.
Some poolhalls are run right, and some not so much.Either way you
need people willing to spend money.
The way I look at it,most people will spend money on things that really
don't matter everyday,myself included.
What I find odd is on a pool-site,there are many people that love the
game,buy PPV matches and that take the time to talk about the sport
like it has meaning to them.
But the moment somebody speaks about doing a random act of kindness,
most seem to dig into a bag of negatives to come out with a reason
not to do it.
We always here people saying we need to get sponsorships from big
company's to help rise the game of pool.How would we expect to get
money out of big company's who could really care less about pool,if we
can't get the people who actually play the game to support it.
Pool is pool and will always be pool ,but only people can change and thats
where it starts.
To find all these reasons not to help,speaks volumes to where we are.
To me,the most genuine act of kindness is to expect nothing back in
return.
I like the good-will of the OP,to want to help somebody,maybe anybody
to better there life without expecting his to change.
Goodluck and great thread!!!Scott
Click to expand...
uhh...coz we know the scene?

$3k wont even make expenses for a month. Survival of the fittest.
 
macguy said:
What you said is one of the misconceptions of a business like a pool room. You may appear to be the better customer because you spend $25.00 twice a week but in reality the guy who comes in 7 days a week, often several times a day and looks like he never spends anything in reality out spends you around 2 to 1. The average everyday customer will spend around $300 to $400 a month.

They are also more dependable as customers and are the ones who really pay the rooms bills. The player who may come in twice a week, may also not come around for a month or disappear altogether. They represent a turnover, customers who come and go but can't be depended on. The everyday customer usually has friends in the room as well and they augment each other as customers, each coming in maybe because the other is there. This, if you are lucky, can work exponentially as you build a regular customer base.
Click to expand...

Did you do the math???

I go to the poolhall twice a week, one night with my wife and one night without her. I spend around $65 a week, or $260 month, not far off from the $300 you said a 7-day-a-week guy might spend. During the time when I was doing league three times a week, I was right up there with him. I am not that much worse than that guy as far as spending money at the hall.

As far as your dependaple statement goes, you missed the mark as far as my situation is concerned. I have played leagues for 7 straight years now, sometimes up to three a week. In those 7 years, I have taken off 2 sessions. You can't get much more dependable than that.

On top of that, I kinda feel sorry for anyone that spends 7 days a week in a poolhall. There's a whole world out there with a lot of other fun and interesting things to do.

Once again, I do not have a problem thinking that I do my part to keep my regular poolhall open. I spend a LOT more money than many of its patrons do. If the place had more people like me, their business would be thriving (and it does very well on league nights).

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
Did you do the math???

I go to the poolhall twice a week, one night with my wife and one night without her. I spend around $65 a week, or $260 month, not far off from the $300 you said a 7-day-a-week guy might spend. During the time when I was doing league three times a week, I was right up there with him. I am not that much worse than that guy as far as spending money at the hall.

As far as your dependaple statement goes, you missed the mark as far as my situation is concerned. I have played leagues for 7 straight years now, sometimes up to three a week. In those 7 years, I have taken off 2 sessions. You can't get much more dependable than that.

On top of that, I kinda feel sorry for anyone that spends 7 days a week in a poolhall. There's a whole world out there with a lot of other fun and interesting things to do.

Once again, I do not have a problem thinking that I do my part to keep my regular poolhall open. I spend a LOT more money than many of its patrons do. If the place had more people like me, their business would be thriving (and it does very well on league nights).

Maniac
Click to expand...
It is funny how people will filter things through their own perceptions and prejudice. There is no reason to assume that the person I am talking about is a pool bum, that came from your mind. He can be a guy who works near the room and stops in everyday after work. My point was you can't really judge the value of a customer. By the way, my example does out spend you by your own figures, yet you still feel you are the more valuable customer. You are both valuable but in different ways and neither would you want to lose. I read the other post in response to my post and all I saw was another room owner who for some reason resents his own customers. You have to wonder why these guys go into the pool room business.
 
macguy said:
It is funny how people will filter things through their own perceptions and prejudice. There is no reason to assume that the person I am talking about is a pool bum, that came from your mind. He can be a guy who works near the room and stops in everyday after work. My point was you can't really judge the value of a customer. By the way, my example does out spend you by your own figures, yet you still feel you are the more valuable customer. You are both valuable but in different ways and neither would you want to lose. I read the other post in response to my post and all I saw was another room owner who for some reason resents his own customers. You have to wonder why these guys go into the pool room business.
Click to expand...

Who used the term "pool bum"???

Geez!!! You're trying to put words into my mouth.

Maniac
 
Black-Balled said:
uhh...coz we know the scene?

$3k wont even make expenses for a month. Survival of the fittest.
Click to expand...

3K won't make the expenses,so we shouldn't make an attempt to help?
Its not all or nothing,its about wanting to help out.I might only leave my
loose change in the ''Helping kids for the Future'' box at the Tim Hortons,but
with enough people it can make a difference.I see no difference here.
I'm not saying people have to but I don't think giving reasons why not to
help is the solution.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top