what do you think of petco and petsmart?

Question

also, which do you prefer? (if you do like them... or which do you think is better)

Answer 1

I've worked at both and find I prefer Petco.

PetCo treats their employees A LOT better than PetsMart (especially in the grooming department - I was a bather at PetsMart and they would yell at me because I got angry about having 20 dogs due out in 4 hours), I would not recommend any bathing services at PetsMart for this reason. Bathers are way overworked and don't have time to do a quality job.

PetCo also has more real natural selections in the food choices (Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Organix, and they are just starting to carry Blue Buffalo - I've also noticed more natural foods on their webpage). They also carry more natural treats (yes, they have the crappy grocery store ones too though).

The Petco's where I live would put the PetsMarts to shame in customer service and their aquatic sections (although I think PetsMart has a few fish that we don't usually carry).

Answer 2

I don't prefer either. However, I don't have a Petsmart in my area so I've never been to one.

I do know that I prefer stores with better quality items. I don't feed kibble myself, but the best quality kibble Petco/Petsmart has is Solid Gold, I believe. Their treats are low-quality (Pupperoni, etc). They have an okay selection of toys, though. I have a store a few blocks from my house that I absolutely love. It's small, but it has a GREAT selection of treats and great quality kibble as well.

I'm not sure how much I helped. LOL. I'd like to see what other people think of Petco v. Petsmart, though..

Ironically, the Petsmart commercial just came on as I was typing this..

Answer 3

We always go to Petco. There are more of them, and they have the brands our chinnie (chinchilla) likes. Petsmart is good for fish.
The Petcos here don't sell puppies or cats, but they do have adoption programs, promoting good shelters/organizations in the area.
The stores I WOULDN'T go to is the pet stores that sell the animals. We've been to one family pet store and it was horrible. And the animals in those places are purebreds, miserable in little cages and selling for 400-1000 dollars.
The Petcos here have rabbits from shelters, and you adopt cats and dogs through shelters, like I said.
So I guess depending where you live, they have different programs, though I didn't think they sold puppy mill puppies... as I've never seen them in a Petco before and we've been to a few.
Petsmart has cats actually there- Petco has adoption days, where the shelter brings the animals for a day, hoping they'd be adopted out. One day they had a rabbit shelter adoption day, and a bunch of rabbits were there.
So Petsmart doesn't have brands we buy or like, but like most things, it just depends on your tastes and things. I think I heard my mom say Petco has better deals, Petsmart rarely has good sales and their prices can be a bit much.

Answer 4

I dont like or dislike either, I do go to Petsmart more than Petco. I have heard a few bad things about the grooming & vet services at both of them to some degree but have on ly h ad my dogs nails clipped at one one time so really have no personal experience with them. They do stock a large supply of numerous items & Petsmart has been VERY helpful w my littel fish dilema that Ive been having lately & I must say they have been not only curteous but helpful & knowledgable .......so I guess Im sidign w PetSmart on this one!! LOL

Answer 5

I've on no account seemed into it, or heard of it. HOWEVER, I do NOT name all PetSmart and PetCo meals crap. PetSmart includes Blue Buffalo, an overly well exceptional puppy meals, and one I use to feed earlier than switching to uncooked. And they bring Eukanuba's new wild line, I overlook what it's known as. Very high priced, however from the parts indexed it is usually a top rate exceptional puppy meals, one who I might do not forget feeding IF I few dry kibble. Purina One? HA... that's thrown down their junk aisle in conjunction with Iams and Beneful. And PetCo sells Diamond, one other particularly well puppy meals. I might have an interest to look what manufacturers this "unleashed" retailer includes earlier than judging. They point out natural, hollistic, and uncooked meals. Prepackaged uncooked diets especially designed for puppies are CRAP. They are OVERPRICED, by and large stuffed with dietary supplements, and simply simple crap. I'll pass to the shop and purchase a entire fowl, thanks very so much.

Answer 6

I only go for the fish. Everything else I can buy elsewhere cheaper. As for my baby's dresses, I make those. They want $20 for an ugly tshirt! I can make her a pretty dress for about $3. But here, the Petsmart has a better selection. When I lived in Cali, the Petco was better there, selection-wise.

Answer 7

I like Petsmart. They are clean, they have really good prices. The staff is knowledgeable and compassionate. I have been to Petco once in the 16 months I have had my dog. The prices were higher, the staff not helpful and the store was very dirty and disorganized. One of the things that turned me off is they had an open "bar" with dog treats. There were flies all over the dog treats, treats were scattered everywhere. It was a real turn off. I wouldn't expose my dog to that again.

Answer 8

I always go with petsmart. I've heard bad things about petco, but I can't really remember what they were \ =. I just know that theres a reason I stick with petsmart and avoid petco....

Probably not any help, but just my two cents. Go petsmart (:

Answer 9

I like PETSMART as we don't have PETCO here in Canada where I live. Also I find prices are very reasonable at PETSMART and the staff are very helpful plus I love taking my Beagle into their store shopping. They always pet him, say hi, and give him a treat. I like the products that are in the store as well.

Answer 10

I don't like either, and I used be a PetSmart EMPLOYEE. I was a "Pet Care Specialist". One of our duties was to care for the sick pets in a sick room .. Things that a vet's supposed to do. All of the pets come from mills, and are poorly bred. I saw rodents, reptiles, and birds die EVERYDAY. The best food they support is "Authority" Dog food, which comes in at a terrible 2 stars according to dogfoodanalysis.

I've heard nothing but bad from PetCo, either -- but I don't have any room to judge since I've never been in the place.