Petco took over local pet stores - what to expect? (blood, foods)
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I had finally found a petstore that carried it all in terms of popular high end food - EVO, Wilderness, Taste of the Wild, Before Grain, Wellness. It was great. Petsmart does not.
Now Petco has bought them out. I went and it they had moved everything around. I looked like the supplies of the EVO, Wellness etc were dwindled, bigger displayes of lower end food. I was there to buy canned and didn't check for dry....
so I'm worried. Where will I buy food if they don't carry it?
I also don't like supporting pet stores that carry pet animals for sale.
What can I expect?
petco will ultimetely change the stores format to their national marketing/product placement plan. However, some existing pet stores that have been purchased retained some of the "local" items so long as they sell. For the time being you can expect it to becopme like all other Petcos or it may become almost like all other petcos with some local flavor remaining. However, if the local flavor and wants don;t support their marketing/business/financial plans, it will go away.
You realy can;t tell what will ultimemetly happen, but you can try and see if any of the old employees who you trust are picked up by Petco. They will be your best source of knowing what is going to happen. They may also be able to get you the best place to write in the company to see about retaining certain products. the other thing is organize the locals to keep pressing petco to carry an item. But in the end, the buyers pocket book will guide corporate.
It must vary by area because Petsmart carries some of the brands you mentioned where I am. So does Petco, although not the same ones. In some places Tractor Supply Co. carries the higher-end cat food. If there's a Pet Supplies Plus near you, they're the best source of pet foods where I am.
It's a lot more convenient to find everything at one place, but if you look around maybe you can find everything you're looking for at different locations.
Petco may turn it into an "Unleashed," which is their higher end pet food store, and they don't sell animals. Are there PetPeople stores where you live? They carry the high end pet food, and you can also check each individual pet food website for retailers in your area.
I didn't know Petco expanded much by buying other stores/chains. Interesting.
Better foods I've seen here in a regular Petco include: Blue Buffalo, Soulistic (this is a Petco exclusive made by Weruva) and I thought they carried Wellness but I can't remember. I think they carry Merrick/Before Grain as well. I don't think they stock Taste of the Wild or EVO. I've never seen a Petco Unleashed.
Petco does sell some small animals, this is true, but at least not dogs and cats. If you're in an area that otherwise has no choice of stores the only thing left is online shopping. Or maybe opening your own store that carries the right stuff.
One other thought though: you might be surprised what you find at a feed store, if you have one of those around. Something like Agway or similar, or any other feed store. There's an Agway not too far from here, and they carry stuff like Evo, Orijen, etc. Or Tractor Suppy, as mentioned, would be worth a look.
The Petco nearest me carries what has to be the entire line of Wellness (both dry and canned), in all package sizes too. It's just as well, 'cause the local supply store I prefer to use quit selling the brand because "it's easily available 'everywhere' now." Would that that were so. The food co-op in my community, as well as ***** - I mean, Whole - Foods has scaled back their stock to a few canned choices. It's disquieting to hear the chorus of caged birds every time I go into Petco (IMHO there should be total prohibition on private ownership of these sad-fated creatures.) But on the plus side, they do sponsor Adoption Days which are a valued resource for overburdened shelters.
Life is full of compromises, but I won't compromise on my cat's life by purchasing inferior foods. Nor will I opt out of keeping her supplied with Dasuquin to help her endure arthritis because the company that makes it has a track record of Christian-right political activity that's downright scary.
Petco works with local rescues to find homes for the dogs and cats in the store. Why would you be against that? The rescue I work with actually utilizes the "adoption events" at Petco. Or do you not like that they have small animals (hamsters/ferrets/fish)? I think Petco is much better than Petsmart as far as their brands are concerned. They carry a bunch of grain-free foods. The store around me carries Before Grain, Wilderness and Wellness. If you're looking for a brand they don't carry, check out feed stores like the other poster said.
I had finally found a petstore that carried it all in terms of popular high end food - EVO, Wilderness, Taste of the Wild, Before Grain, Wellness. It was great. Petsmart does not.
Now Petco has bought them out. I went and it they had moved everything around. I looked like the supplies of the EVO, Wellness etc were dwindled, bigger displayes of lower end food. I was there to buy canned and didn't check for dry....
so I'm worried. Where will I buy food if they don't carry it?
I also don't like supporting pet stores that carry pet animals for sale.
What can I expect?
Where I live Petco carries most of the high-end brands both dry and canned. They also allow adoptions from their stores. My Zebulon came from a local Petco. He was already neutered, blood tested and had first shots. We don't do a lot of shopping there because except for their cat furniture, they're prices are higher than PetsMart.
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