PetCo vs. PetSmart?
This is a hotly debated topic among my friends and family, and it’s gotten worse since my roomie’s girlfriend just went to work for PetSmart. Which big, national pet chain do you prefer?
Just given our local examples, the PetSmart is clean, the staff is friendly and adult, the displays are always neat and organized, there’s a lot of beneficial services right in-store, and where they do offer things like cat adoptions, they get the animals locally through a rescue or shelter, not through a puppy mill like the mall store does. They offer grooming, training, veterinary services, and everything else you need right in the store.
PetCo on the other hand always looks like something exploded in the store, and they don’t seem to have enough staff to put it back together. It’s difficult to get to a lot of the products (i.e. crates) that are stacked high on shelves without help, and help is sometimes hard to find. My local store offers only grooming; I don’t personally think it’s a bad thing to limit the services in-store because the staff is very good about referring people to the diferent types of services that are available in the general community. PetCo invites several animal rescues to hold weekly adoptions. PetCo refers people to several veterinarians in the area that I respect highly and guides people away from veterinarians that overcharge or seem to be in it for profits and not the animals. Our local PetCo is about half the size of the local PetSmart but manages to offer the same services — and it offers them in a way that’s good for the animals in most cases. For the most part, instead of being in cages in the aisles, birds are in a separate (soundproofed) aviary room where they don’t have to deal with the stress of people walking by constantly. It’s the little things that seem to matter.
Personally, I stick with whichever one has the products I like best. PetCo carries high-end foods like Solid Gold, Wellness, and several other minor brands, PetSmart does not (with very few exceptions like Royal Canid, but that’s no longer a very good product.) PetCo’s crates are of higher quality and can contain Henry during a panic attack. Henry’s destroyed three plastic and two wire crates from PetSmart. PetCo’s prices are usually more reasonable.
Hotly debated topic, but PetCo has really worked hard to be a better citizen than PetSmart has in a lot of ways… PetSmart provides services through the pet’s entire lifetime at a mediocre level whereas PetCo educates people about services that are already available through other small businesses in the community. While the former might be best for new pet owners, I respect the latter a lot coming from a large, national company.
Personally I won’t go to PetCo because they sell dogs from puppy mills. Yes, both chains sell birds, reptiles and rodents, but Pet Smart does not sell dogs. I have heard horrible stories about puppies coming from PetCo, and the supporting that store means supporting the horrible practice of milling. But if I have the choice, I’d much rather give my business to high quality local pet stores that do not sell dogs, like Bark n Purr in Austin. My rule of thumb, never ever spend money at any store that sells puppies, it perpetuates a cycle of abuse, cruelty and pet overpopulation.
Interesting. Thanks for letting me know that, Julie. Our local PetCo does not sell cats or dogs, only birds, reptiles/fish, and rodents (including ferrets.) For canines and felines, they have >3 rescues come in multiple times a week and provide water and kitty litter for them.
I started my grooming career at PETsmart and they do have a banfield and training in store…However The staff is only taught to sell things in the store and isnt very versed on prducts that would potentialy be better for your pet.Also the roomers are taught in a four week school on how to groom dogs(you cant seriously learn to groom to every breed standard and saftly) And after four weeks they are exepected to groom eight dogs a day.Basically what that means is alot of the new groomers “mess up” on your dog!!! The dogs end up sitting in kennels for an average of 3-6 hours and stresses them out. F.Y.I if your dog is at the groomers for that long even once run!!!!
I am Grooming instructor and have been grooming and showing dogs for 30 years. What most don’t understand is that there is a lot more to grooming than a 4 to 8 week course to learn this career as Natasha said. My Grooming apprentices are with me a minimum of 12 months and generally it is 18 months. Pet handling, First Aid, Safety, nutrition, ph balance of a pet’s skin, ph of shampoo’s conditioners, identifying skin issues and choosing the correct shampoo just to mention a few things groomers need to learn before every grooming a pet. My bathing course alone takes 3 months and does not include learning to brush, nails, ears or ana glands. Actual clipping and styling is about 12 months. TEETH BRUSHING….. This is just a money grabber for those that offer it. Imagaine how much good that would do a person to only have their teeth brushed once a every 8 weeks or maybe once a year. Groomers at Petco and Pet Smart should not try to rip of customers but explain that brushing one time is not going to be any benefit to the pet. Teeth brushing must be done daily and cleanings at the vet yearly. I have nothing against these companies as we have 1 of each in my town and my business just doubled since they have arrived. I just wish we could get these groomers to become certified with the Nat’l Groomers Association and have to take a written test and a physical test. Maybe post their experience and how long they have apprenticed.
Thanks Rhonda for your comment!
I work at a petco store and all I have to say is that it is company policy that we can’t sell cats and dogs. If they are in our store we are sponsoring that animal for adoption from a local pet shelter.