No doubt there are "hacks" everywhere, just as with anything else in life, but we cannot condemn all Pro shops due to a lousy few....
Example---ever have a guy work on you car that you would never bring it back to, but then find a favorite and from then on will not take it anywhere else?? Or a dentist, or a contractor, etc, etc?? Finding a great bow technician is much the same thing. Most any moron can square up a bow so it will throw and arrow, but to get that arrow to cast STRAIGHT with total efficiency and with the greatest forgiveness for each individuals' form, well, that takes the hands of an expert, same as ripping out your own tooth vs. having it correctly extracted at the dentist, you tearing a car apart vs. it being done in a dealership with all the correct computers and tools, etc,.
If everyone thinks that they can buy everything through wal-mart or Cabelas or whomever just to save a buck or two and work on their bow at home and without the help of a true tech from time to time, let me ask you this----how long do you think honest Pro shops will be in business without yours? WHERE will you shoot in the winter if there are no places to shoot a league or rent for an hour, or who will teach the next generation with youth leagues/JOAD programs??? Ranges alone cost big bucks to heat and carry insurance on, nevermind thousands of dollars of inventory in a shop each year so everyone can play "touchy-feely". Everyone thinks they can just go to a shop and look at stuff, then go home, order it, and then do it all on their own, but what they fail to realize is that by doing so they are hurting the industry and sport--- techs and Pro shops are here to help and are an integral part of the industry and sport of Archery, irregardless of the fact that they get paid for their services or have to charge a bit more on products than the box stores. This extra money spent also benefits you as well by keeping reputable Pro shops and ranges intact and alive, which keeps the industry and manufacturers alive. Bottom line is once the techs and Pro shops(and ranges!) disappear, so does the sport itself. "Can't see the forest for the trees" comes to mind on this---I hate paying $60 per hour labor on my truck because I feel I could do most of it myself too, but when I stop and think about it, knowing that the dealership backs up their work and normally does things correctly anyway due to repetition on many vehicles every day, plus the fact that the manufacturers gain from this as well and thus they can build me a much better truck down the road, I guess it is then worth my while to let the experts handle it.
JMHO.. Pinwheel 12