What's it going to take?

Every other month or so we have to sit on the phone and give feedback to manufacturer/distributor's in the industry. We tell them again and again what works and what doesn't and what we think needs to improve. We've been dead on with predicting what's going to happen when things aren't ethically business savvy. Yet, even though these people ask our opinion they don't listen or they react to slowly to the problem.

We sat down in September with some retailers and the BIG BOSS of a major manufacturer/distributor so they could get a feel for how we felt about how things were going and what they could do to help. Since then we feel as if it was a meeting to justify what they already knew and went ahead and gave the box stores more product to sell. They also gave the box stores space on the website we had to BEG for even though we've been doing business with them for over 16 years.

In the last 2 months we've seen the box stores selling paintballs for $30/case that are knockoffs of brands we sell at $50 and $60 per case. While all along the same distributors want us to raise our per case price. Makes us think they don't understand how their tactics effect the entire industry. Once again it brings me back to the manufacturer/distributor not knowing who the customer is. Roughly 80% of the market right now is new players. They are going to shop for the most inexpensive way to play the sport whether or not the product is in fact good. Half of those people will quit playing after the 2nd or 3rd time because the cheap marker or the cheap paint they bought isn't working like they thought it would. The other half hopefully goes to a reputable field or store where the inconsistencies are explained to them and they get educated that you can't short cut your self on quality if you want to have a good time.

Retailers who specialize in paintball are getting the shaft. We're the ones who can sell your product with complete confidence the customer knows what they bought as well as service your product if something should go wrong. Since 2005 manufacturers have taken retailers for granted. Not just the economy has played a roll in the dwindling numbers in paintball players. It's simple, if you sell something that has a specific niche, you need to support it. While box stores might be able to move a ton of product, is it reflective of the numbers actually playing and continuing to play the game?

Store/Field owners who actually care about staying in business and not just making a quick buck care about customer satisfaction and whether they come back to play or purchase. Just drawing people in should not be the end of the road. You need to nurture them. Give them a reason to come back or at least a reason to recommend a friend try it out. Growing the sport is the only way it will survive and become a legitimate sport/activity. The word is out, people know what paintball is or they have at least heard of it. Keep them coming.

I am sitting here downloading pictures from today and thinking about how a status update sometimes just isn't enough. We've had a great Christmas with lots of laughter, good food, good conversation and fun. We've also tried to make the best of an uncomfortable situation.

We have had much to deal with in the last week. Nanni fell on Tuesday afternoon after the annual "Generation Tea" with Maureen, Jen, Lauren and Skip. She spent two nights in the hospital and will most likely never return to her own home. She is very weak and is sleeping a lot. We are all doing what we can to help out, but it will be a difficult change for everyone.

Tonight just as we were winding down at Maureen and Skip's I got a call from Nana that she had fallen and hit her head. I stayed on the phone with her until my Uncle Jim arrived to asses her and decide whether she needed medical attention. This put the whole family on alert. Uncle Jim called and said she was fine and that the nurses would be checking in on her every couple of hours. I am anxiously waiting for her call in the morning.

There is much to think about and much to do in the upcoming weeks to make sure our Nana's are cared for and will be comfortable with whatever time they have left with us. We have reached a point where we need to make decisions for them. Not a thing anyone wants to deal with.

It's tough to get old. It's tough to watch someone get old. It's tough to come to terms with our responsibilities for each other as we get older. Each life has been a heck of a trip and it's difficult to watch as memories slide away, strength dwindles, movements are slower and cognition wanes. There's a lot of love in this family and we will help each other through the latest that has been thrust upon us.