It does sound a bit like a conspiracy, but it also doesn't surprise me that much. China has been buying up a ton of real estate over here. It's not that unbelievable. I haven't gone in so long.
That's the alley down the road from where I live. Shoe rental is $3.50
Ok, that doesn't seem so bad, especially the hourly rate. I feel like I would probably bowl very quickly because I do like to get value for my money. I'd probably get all sweaty and potentially hurt myself. At our lanes you would have to bowl for a very long time to rack up a $20 tab :)
Yeah, you have to remember that I am in the middle of the country in a place where the cost of living is sort of low. If you were in a big city, those rates would probably be jacked up like your acquaintance sent you.