# PetSmart VS. Petco



## thebunnyexpert (Jan 22, 2010)

Which do you prefer? Who has better customer service? Better prices? Better selection/variety? 

I pick PetSmart. Hate Petco.


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

i like petsmart's toy/bone selection and the way the stores are set up better. i like petco's variety of food more by far. both are still very over-priced as far as i'm concerned.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

I like Petsmart better just because of it's prices, but I wish they would do away with their overpriced one size fits all training


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## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

Keechak said:


> I like Petsmart better just because of it's prices, but I wish they would do away with their overpriced one size fits all training


agreed. it's more of a $149 show-and-tell than anything.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I don't like one over the other....for me they both have things I buy from each respectively.....


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

I think it really depends on management. I am biased, I know, since I work at Petco. In my area, we have both very close together. While I think Petsmarts prices are better, our customer service and cleanliness can not be beat. But like I said, it depends on the store. I have been told numerous times by a few customers that another petco in my district is TERRIBLE, rude, dirty, poor animal care, etc. I can't say because I have never been to that store, but I beleive it.

Poor management = poor service

What I am learning is that pet stores are not the places to buy dog food because it is overpriced at these specialty places. I am also learning that chew bones are also better purchased elsewhere. For example, I buy my dog food at feed stores. I just found Taste of the Wild (the big bag) for 38.99 which is the cheapest I have found it anywhere and it is at Agway. Also, I can get one free dog bone at my local meat shop everyday if I decide to, and at my local Farmer's market, a smoked beef hock or joint is only two dollars. They are huge, very similar to pet store products, and smell a heck of a lot better...probably healthier too. And MUCH cheaper. 

I think you should frequent both as they both offer different things. I do know that Petco is striving for excellent customer service and if you aren't getting that at your petco, by all means call the corporate number (check your receipt).


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## Cowgirl Kristin (Feb 19, 2010)

I prefer Petsmart, since they are cheaper on the same products, and have more toys to choose from.


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## Dog Tuff (Apr 9, 2010)

Both are wayyyy over priced as mentioned! I prefer Petco because of the Food selection, Which is 10x that of Petsmart!


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## john47 (Apr 5, 2010)

you can try a small independent pet food store. you'll get better service, a better selection of quality foods, and maybe lower prices too.


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## infiniti (Mar 19, 2010)

I like both for different reasons. Petsmart has better prices, and a better selection on toys and treats, it offers a daycare that I use occasionally for short visits that Bella seems to like. 

Petco is closer to me for a quick stop in. They also sell feeder rats for my snake, whereas Petsmart does not.

I don't buy food at either one because they don't sell the food that I buy.

Customer service and cleanliness is great and comparable at both of my local stores. They all seem very knowledgeable and very quick to help when I have questions. 

My Petco did a quick nail clipping free of charge on Bella a couple of weeks ago because I can't do it (she gives me 9 kinds of hell when I try!) and they said her nails weren't long enough to charge for.

The store clerks at both know Bella by name because we go so often, and just love her, though they all think it's funny she won't eat the treats they keep by the registers. lol She's a treat snob.

We're moving in a couple of months, and we're going to miss them all! 

What I like about both of them is that they encourage pet adoptions and hold adoption fairs on certain Saturdays. Although I don't donate every time, I also like that they ask for donations to help homeless animals. I like the activist mentality that they have, and that they aren't pet shops that sell puppies and cats from breeders for profit. 

Overall, there are things I wish they did more of - like sell real meaty bones like another specialty pet store I have been to, sell a larger variety of better foods, sell a larger variety of toys - especially those that they have on their websites but don't offer in-store. But, generally speaking, I am satisfied with them both. Bella loves them both.


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## sillylilykitty (Mar 11, 2007)

When I lived by these stores I liked each for different reasons. I got the cat litter at Petco and the beds and toys at Petsmart. Food was always bought at a small pet store I found near my apartment that had a wide variety of great foods. I bought wet cat food whenever I saw something Lily might like. Certain items call out to me "Lily wants this!"


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## Jod-dog (Mar 28, 2010)

I like Petco better than Petsmart. I went to both yesterday and Petco's employees were friendlier. At Petsmart, I went to ask a question and the employee wouldn't even look at me. It was rude! Petco has treats that Scrappy likes--but Petsmart doesn't have them.

Neither of them have the leash I want! LOL I bought the collar at Petco about a month ago, and went back for the leash--they no longer carry the brand. I had to order it online at Petco.com.

I prefer Petco.


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## Misty2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

I like petco more, here they have more in the store, the store is also bigger and has a lot of different lanes for dogs.


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## infiniti (Mar 19, 2010)

Misty2010 said:


> I like petco more, here they have more in the store, the store is also bigger and has a lot of different lanes for dogs.


This kind of depends on the area where you live, I think, because my Petco is very small with a very limited variety of things, whereas our new Petsmart is absolutely HUGE with a vast array of all kinds of products.

However, the Petco near where I work is much larger than the one near my home. And the Petsmart where we will be moving this summer is much smaller than the one near me now, and doesn't have alot of the services mine here does.


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## Misty2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

infiniti said:


> This kind of depends on the area where you live, I think, because my Petco is very small with a very limited variety of things, whereas our new Petsmart is absolutely HUGE with a vast array of all kinds of products.
> 
> However, the Petco near where I work is much larger than the one near my home. And the Petsmart where we will be moving this summer is much smaller than the one near me now, and doesn't have alot of the services mine here does.


That sucks, can't get a happy medium. lol Well where i live, there is 2 petsmarts that i can thin of to go to, both are nice, one a little better than the other. And i think one petco, but i could be wrong. We go to petco more though, its in the town we go to the most.


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## ozzy29 (Mar 25, 2010)

Can't really answer there is no petco anywhere close to me We do have a chain that is called petcetera which often has really great deals on fish And both of them get all their dogs and cats from local rescue places and not from breeders or puppy mills.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle (Dec 28, 2009)

Our PetSmart is larger than our Petco but also more expensive. I purposely priced the exact same items at both stores and PetSmart was always more expensive. Also everytime I have been in PetSmart I have been one of the two customers in there and the employees just stand around and don't even greet you as you go by them.

I guess I am a little biased to Petco since they have free puppy socialization hours that I took Flash to when we first got her. So now all the employees greet us enthusiastically when we go in. However we haven't been going there as much since we joined a Saturday playgroup at the same time now. Also I much prefer to shop at Tractor Supply. Prices are better and I like items I find there that I haven't found at Petco or PetSmart like the Dogswell Chicken Jerky treats (only ingredients are chicken breast, Vitamin E, flaxseed, and Vitamin A).


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## bengerman13 (May 2, 2010)

i used to be a big fish person, and because of that, i don't really like either one. the Petsmart by my house seems OK, but i much prefer the smaller stores. usually, i go to Denny's pet world for treats and toys, but just yesterday i discovered Mud Bay. they have great salespeople who really know what a dog needs and know about their products, and their prices are actually lower than the other stores around here.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I don't buy food from either, so the toy/misc. section is most important, lol! And by far, Petsmart has better selection in that department. I do think both are overpriced, though. As far as service, I honestly prefer the stores back in Fort Worth over the Dallas stores, lol! I haven't noticed an overall difference significant enough to count between Petco and Petsmart. Individual employees have different personalities. Last time I went to Petco, though, the employees were kind of annoying, lol! There were like 6 employees standing at the door, half on each side standing in a row, staring at me as I walked in like they had been expecting me or something, lol! It was pretty weird. And about every 30 seconds someone popped out of no where and startled me to ask if I was finding everything alright  Oy vay!


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## Foyerhawk (May 7, 2009)

Petco charges way more for the same products. Petsmart has much better value.

That said, I don't hate Petco. They have things I like, including (I think) saltwater fish, which Petsmart does not deal with. But, why pay $18 for a collar I can get at Petsmart for $10? Or whatever...

I would never attend training classes except for advanced competitive obedience or agility, and clearly I would go to a dog training club for that. So, the classes do not factor into my opinion at all.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Petsmart for toys, etc, but Petco for treats and stuff, since they have healthier options. However, I usually end up going to the small pet shops around here locally for my food and treats. Petsmart is specifically toys usually.


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## woody1040 (May 25, 2010)

Hello. I went to Petsmart and purchased 3 items, one item being Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites 5LBS bag. I didn't have enough money for 3 item's so I took out the box of dog biscuits. Petsmart charged me $14.99 for the Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites 5LBS bag. I was at Pet Pals pet store to buy the dog biscuits I didn't have enough money earlier. Pet Pals is closer to my house. I looked at their price for Nutro Natural Choice Small Bites 5LBS bag. PET PALS CHARGE $9.29 and PETSMART CHARGED ME $14.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That is a difference of $5.70. I got ROBBED. $5.70 DIFFERENCE ON A $14.99 item. I returned PETSMARTS NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE $14.99 and BOUGHT IT FOR $9.29 postd everyday low price at PET PALS. NO WONDER I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR 3 ITEMS AT PETSMART. BEWARE OF OVER PRICING AT PETSMART


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## 275i7 (Jun 4, 2010)

In my area, I've found the PetsMarts to be a lot more professional. The local Petco's just sort of give me the feel of a mall pet store, but significantly more expensive (which is crazy).

Honestly, if there were any decent local stores, I would probably be going there. However, there aren't. Toys are generally cheaper online, I usually end up looking at toys in PetsMart or Petco, then finding it online. Amazon is my friend. =) As for food, Blue Buffalo is about $1.50 cheaper at PetsMart, plus its less than a mile from my house, so that works for me.


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## PuggleMommy57 (Jun 13, 2010)

Well, where I live, there's only a PetSmart! LOL!


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## PetersGirl (Feb 8, 2010)

We have a Petco and a Petsmart, about 3 mins away from each other. Who knows why, but it sure is convenient! Petsmart is good for Tucker supplies, plus they sell Blue Buffalo. Petcos selection on dogfood is horrible, IMO. Petco has GREAT ferret supplies! But it stinks in there, really bad. Petsmart is always super clean and their workers are really friendly. 

And at Petsmart I get to say hi to all the kitties in the adpotion area. I wish I could bring them all home


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## Indy (Jul 6, 2009)

I do very little shopping at either of them. Our local pet stores have much better pricing and I would argue better selection as well.

That being said- I do go to Petco for the treat bar occasionally. They have some cute bulk cookies I get every now and then. And PetSmart has a pretty good selection of toys for reasonable prices- I'll usually stop in there when one toy has been destroyed and we're looking to replace it with something new. 

Unless I'm looking for an excuse to take the dog for a car ride, I rarely go to either of them.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

I prefer petco. It is cleaner, bigger and priced similiarly. I don't buy food at either of them, I frequent farm and tack stores as you can buy more for less money. I mostly just use them for treats and speciality things like car harnesses, etc that wally world doesn't have.


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## PetersGirl (Feb 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> I prefer petco. It is cleaner, bigger and priced similiarly. I don't buy food at either of them, I frequent farm and tack stores as you can buy more for less money. I mostly just use them for treats and speciality things like car harnesses, etc that *wally world* doesn't have.


I thought I was the only one that called it Wally World! Lmao! 

Sorry...tangent...


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## Camillea (Jun 17, 2010)

Until recently I always preferred Petsmart over Petco, but this has changed with my new dog. While the Petsmart by my house is definitely cheaper, the Petco is a huge store, is better lit, has wider aisles, and a much-much wider selection than Petsmart with a lot of cool toys, treats, pet products, etc.

Also, when I ask the people at Petco questions they're knowledgeable and friendly, but otherwise they leave me alone...and I can't stress how grateful I am for this because a lot of times I just like to browse and usually I'll impulse buy more when I can browse. The Petsmart by my house though has these people working there who are rushing to take care of my every need and when I express what I'm looking (and what I know I want) they act as if I'm an idiot and then go on to (not by actually saying it but by attitude) explain how much more knowledgeable and correct they are in everything they say; actually one of them did say how she “knows” something that I wound up laughing about because what she said was so off base. 

A good example of this attitude is a few weeks back I was looking for an anit-bloat bowl for Willow, I'd researched bloat, basset hounds and how anti-bloat bowls are good for them. Petsmart didn't have them. The lady there told me that while I could order them off the internet "pet stores, period, don't carry them anymore, they've all switched to this, and this is by far superior to that bowl," and she sold me some heavy ball to put in Willows food bowl for her to eat around -- which required me to buy her a larger eating dish that her ears dropped into. Also with the ball in there, Willow would panic at her food, try to eat around it and then get so distraught she'd give up. A few days later was the first time I went to the Petco by me and of course, they had the bowl I wanted, and of course it works perfectly just like the basset hound sites I had read said it would. The elitist attitudes of my local Petsmart workers annoys me to no end.

Also, when I recently looked into puppy classes at both anticipating enrolling Willow, myself and my boyfriend into one in the near future the Petco has more classes, better hours, and lots of different break downs (like I can enroll in basic puppy training but they also have a socialization "class", refresher courses, older dog classes, trick training classes, and they host seminars of all sorts and kinds where have single day “classes” to get new info and learn new things) and they had several classes to chose from that would be just-starting from day one. The Petsmart by comparison offered only 2 courses that were just starting out, the hours would be difficult to make, and they kept pressuring me to enroll in one ‘right now’ because they ‘only had a few spots left,’ I don’t even yet have a vet clearance for my pup to do much more than lay like a lump with the occasional walk and play, and she’s only had her first series of shots...I was just looking into it...and I explained this to them, but they kept putting on the pressure. They also seemed to just stage their classes like puppy training I, puppy training II, etc. which I didn’t like.

Anyway, given my experiences with the two where I live, I've actually decided I'd rather spend more and buy from the Petco than go the cheaper route at Petsmart...it's probably not the best decision since budget is a bit of a concern for me, but the lesser headache is well worth the few extra dollars.


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## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

I agree, I definitely like Petsmart better. The staff is always helpful and even share their experiences with you so you know from the start about a product. I would never go to Petco again. I tried it twice, but it didnt work for me. I wont go into one even if its only for a tennis ball! hhaha. Well I guess PETSMART FOR THE WIN


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## Krissy48lowes (Jul 28, 2010)

I think it all depends on what your buying. I do agree that Petsmart is a cleaner store that Petco...or at least in my area it is. As far as customer service I think there about the same.


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## ryanb4614 (Mar 7, 2008)

I think petco and petsmart are way over priced, you could get the same products half the cost online and have it shipped right to your door. I usually go to petco if I am in need of something right away, they usually are better priced then petsmart. When buying online use froogle and you will get a list of store, the new store I when with is wholesale-dog-supplies.com my order shipped the same day. So if your looking for a particular item I would shop around theres alot better deals out there.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

PetCo has the better foods, honestly there's very little at Petsmart I'd feed, they're really just a giant Walmart pet section and the only thing of decent quality is thier Blue Buffalo brand (which makes my dogs sick).


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## Shandwill (Jul 23, 2010)

We do not have Petco in our area, so if I had to choose, I would pick Petsmart. However, I TOTALLY agree with John:


john47 said:


> you can try a small independent pet food store. you'll get better service, a better selection of quality foods, and maybe lower prices too.


In my experience, there is no comparison when looking at a major chain versus a good local store. MUCH better foods offered, personalized care, and more affordable. Overall, much more bang for your buck!


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## Bones (Sep 11, 2009)

No Pet Smart or Petco in town but I shop Petco online because I found it better then Petsmart online.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

I do not use either of them anymore, but when I did, I prefered Petco over Petsmart. 
What I use now is dog.com. Prices are better, customer service is fabulous!


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## blenheimcav (Dec 23, 2019)

Neither of them.


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

Another old thread. This one is from over nine years ago, and I only recognize one person's name, so I'm assuming nobody else is still around.

I get most of my pet supplies and food through Chewy these days. If I have to make an in-store purchase, I prefer Pestmart over Petco, personally. The Petco in my town opened with expired food on the shelves, and I've had to return more than one bag of kibble or biscuits because of bugs.


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## Madaline_Dellapaolera (Apr 24, 2020)

No doubt, I am very much satisfied with pet smart services.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

10 year old thread.


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