[MstrKey]

Here is a question I'd like to pose to some of the more successful owners out there. This is more geared to indoor field due to the more urban location but anyone can chime in.


Long ago before the economic crisis we had an indoor field in our town. It was nothing great but had a decent following. Anyway the owner of the building decided he wanted to build a new night club on the location so.....the field went belly up and never could find a new location to open. This isn't the real problem.

Shortly after the field shut down, the city passed a by-law prohibiting paintball from being played within city limits. The reason(according to the proceedings archives) was the sheer volume of complaints about paintball splats on other local businesses, streets, etc in an area around the former field.

Now I know whenever I worked, I watched people like a hawk to make sure they weren't doing this after they left our facility. Lots of kids like to sneak a few paintballs out after playing and toss them around. I made sure to keep an eye out as long as possible, as well as explaining to them the danger to the game if they did such things. After I left.....the new employees were pretty lazy and obviously did not keep an eye on people.

So my question is........what do you do as a field owner to prevent such things? Once people are off your property you really have no control. Has anyone else ever had these problems? I guess the reball fields won't have this issue. I was more curious than anything.

[Egos4flifeguy]

Originally Posted by MstrKey

Here is a question I'd like to pose to some of the more successful owners out there. This is more geared to indoor field due to the more urban location but anyone can chime in.

Long ago before the economic crisis we had an indoor field in our town. It was nothing great but had a decent following. Anyway the owner of the building decided he wanted to build a new night club on the location so.....the field went belly up and never could find a new location to open. This isn't the real problem.

Shortly after the field shut down, the city passed a by-law prohibiting paintball from being played within city limits. The reason(according to the proceedings archives) was the sheer volume of complaints about paintball splats on other local businesses, streets, etc in an area around the former field.

Now I know whenever I worked, I watched people like a hawk to make sure they weren't doing this after they left our facility. Lots of kids like to sneak a few paintballs out after playing and toss them around. I made sure to keep an eye out as long as possible, as well as explaining to them the danger to the game if they did such things. After I left.....the new employees were pretty lazy and obviously did not keep an eye on people.

So my question is........what do you do as a field owner to prevent such things? Once people are off your property you really have no control. Has anyone else ever had these problems? I guess the reball fields won't have this issue. I was more curious than anything.

That's why we built our field outside of city limits. Out of the 2 city's, only 1 wouldn't allow. So we picked the city without laws.

[MstrKey]

Well it's curious that nobody ever actually approached the field owners to say anything about the problem. They waited until it closed down to sneak the bi-law in.

Still any field in an urban area must have similar problems. If I ever had to do it again though, I would do it out of town period. It just makes more sense in many ways.

[Egos4flifeguy]

Originally Posted by MstrKey

Well it's curious that nobody ever actually approached the field owners to say anything about the problem. They waited until it closed down to sneak the bi-law in.

Still any field in an urban area must have similar problems. If I ever had to do it again though, I would do it out of town period. It just makes more sense in many ways.

What am I saying, that's what I ment it's outside of both city limits

[Open_Truth (Banned)]

I can remark about a field that I worked for on a military base, back in the 90's. paint was pretty strictly controlled. You paid them for your paint, only one grade, and they wrote your name on a card, then a set of numbers, depending upon how much paint you bought. Say you bought 500 paintballs, they put a 1-5 on the card. Every time you got paint, you got 100 paintballs at a time, and they marked off one number. At the end of the day, if you had any paint left over, it was the refs responsibility to have the people go to the shooting range and shoot off the paint. Military didn't want kids to take paintballs from the field and vandalise base housing.

[MstrKey]

Most people shoot off their extra paint regardless.......at bookings I mean. There's always a lil bugger that hides some though.

I know back in the day some fields would have a custom color to help identify their paint. I think a lot of that has disappeared since it's just too pricey to get a custom run. Not to mention quality issues.

[swat-paintball]

some field here don t fill your tank when your leave so u got no air to test your gun but no air to shoot for vendalism

[prologix]

Just popping in, but as a customer I expect to walk out with full air and any paint I may have left. Not sure I would frequent places that did not allow either. As for vandalism, educate the ones you suspect are causing issues, tell the police what you know when they ask.
BTW, I am 42 and have no interest in wasting my paint off the field. As for my children, the guns get locked in the safe with the other guns when we are not playing, kids are somewhat short sighted at times better to remove the temptation.

[TotalSupremacyPB]

Regarding leaving the field with extra paint... I once played at a field where you would "check in" the paint that wasnt used. At first i was skeptical but they kept a log book so when you would return they would give you fresh paint, i could see this helping to solve the problem of leaving with extra paint and shooting extra buildings. This also was a good idea on the field's part so it would always be circulating paint and on return you would get fresh paint that wouldnt be dimpled or old.

[Open_Truth (Banned)]

Originally Posted by prologix

Just popping in, but as a customer I expect to walk out with full air and any paint I may have left. Not sure I would frequent places that did not allow either. As for vandalism, educate the ones you suspect are causing issues, tell the police what you know when they ask.
BTW, I am 42 and have no interest in wasting my paint off the field. As for my children, the guns get locked in the safe with the other guns when we are not playing, kids are somewhat short sighted at times better to remove the temptation.

You are 42, but what about the kids that are 12 that have their own gear and want to take the paintballs home afterwards? How do you know which ones are going to vandalize the area, and which ones aren't? It isn't that easy, so having everyone shoot all of their paint at the end of the day makes it easier on the owners and employees, and no judgement calls have to be made to determine who looks like they could be a vandal.

[MstrKey]

In many cases the kids don't need a gun or air to throw paint at buildings or cars. That's also a problem. They can shove it in their pockets and you won't know the difference.

Maybe reball is the only answer?

[Spadesiswhack]

paintball is dirty. comes with the territory

[OhIoCoNtRActKilLa]

Originally Posted by TotalSupremacyPB

Regarding leaving the field with extra paint... I once played at a field where you would "check in" the paint that wasnt used. At first i was skeptical but they kept a log book so when you would return they would give you fresh paint, i could see this helping to solve the problem of leaving with extra paint and shooting extra buildings. This also was a good idea on the field's part so it would always be circulating paint and on return you would get fresh paint that wouldnt be dimpled or old.

Interesting... How did they handle bags that were only partially filled?

[TotalSupremacyPB]

Originally Posted by OhIoCoNtRActKilLa

Interesting... How did they handle bags that were only partially filled?

They had a ball counter they would pour the partial bags into. Then they'd right it down in the ledger and that's how much paint you would get next time your at the field. (For free of course)

[OhIoCoNtRActKilLa]

That's a very interesting concept. It would be a bit of a pain for out of towners that don't frequent the field, but a nice convenience for the regulars.

[FoidPoosening]

Originally Posted by MstrKey

In many cases the kids don't need a gun or air to throw paint at buildings or cars. That's also a problem. They can shove it in their pockets and you won't know the difference.

Maybe reball is the only answer?

Unless you have some sort of surveillance to prove that no one is doing this from your property, I think reball might be the only way.

Originally Posted by Egos4flifeguy

So we picked the city without laws.

City without laws?

As for the above few posts, I think the checking in used paint could be a really good idea. But it would be time consuming and a lot to keep track of, so in that sense its not only a decision made to lessen legal ramifications but also purely a business decision too. Depends how you would execute/market it.

[MstrKey]

I suppose putting the shooting range somewhere where the players have to pass it on their way to the staging area may cut down lol. May won't be able to avoid the temptation but there are always a few that want to hold onto the paintballs and take them out for whatever reason. Maybe something simple like showing mom.........maybe to toss around at the local shopping mall. You just never know.

[Ace0rz]

Owning a field in an urban area is rough, we get emails all the time from neighboring businesses, and home owners. you need to try and keep the people around you happy, trying to get them to become a player is the first thing you should try, also wiring up security cameras in your parking lot along with the 24 hr video surveillance signs will help reduce stupidity in some people, and also making a firm example of the ones you do catch is a must... having someone placed at your entrance / exit would also not be a bad idea to make sure customers leave with their equipment broken down and in a bag. so at least you can tell the police (if they ever get called) that when all customers leave everyones equipment is broken down or in a bag.

[robdavy]

What's the point of going to all the effort when kids can buy a paintball marker set at Walmart for $50, or paintballs at Walmart for $5?

I agree about a rule saying no paintballs are to be shot or thrown around in the parking lot or you're banned (and explain why to people), and as long as that happens, what they do once they've driven away can hardly be your fault.

And a City that bans paintball places? That wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge in my mind

[pbamike]

At a field where I play, renters have to leave the marker on the field before they exit to the staging area/no mask zone.

All the rental guns have a number stamped on them so people know which gun belongs to who.

[MstrKey]

Originally Posted by Ace0rz

Owning a field in an urban area is rough, we get emails all the time from neighboring businesses, and home owners. you need to try and keep the people around you happy, trying to get them to become a player is the first thing you should try, also wiring up security cameras in your parking lot along with the 24 hr video surveillance signs will help reduce stupidity in some people, and also making a firm example of the ones you do catch is a must... having someone placed at your entrance / exit would also not be a bad idea to make sure customers leave with their equipment broken down and in a bag. so at least you can tell the police (if they ever get called) that when all customers leave everyones equipment is broken down or in a bag.

I'm pretty sure at the time our field took the blame for a LOT of the actions of kids buying stuff at retail stores and shooting around town. No doubt about that.

In Case others were interested, the city actually banned the firing of air guns within city limits accept at designated locations. I'm sure one could apply to be added to the list but you know how city officials are. Emotional, melodramatic......rarely listen to facts and data. If I ever opened up a field I'd just go right outside city limits to piss them off lol. Then do what I want. At one point I thought about being an *** and calling them every time I saw
someone using an air gun of any kind(nail guns, hair dryers, pest control guns etc) but I don't actually own a field so I never bothered to fight the good fight lol.