Went to PetCo last night...

I pop in to Petco for the odd doggie item but don't buy dog food there.  I agree that the prices are good and they carry some of the "better" foods.  I just always find the stores to be kind of diry and not well kept. I don't remember if it was just here, but a while back they had problems with rancid dog food and rodents in the storage areas.The employees seem to not like their jobs and their attitudes are less than helpful.  That may just be the stores here but I just don't like Petco. 

Something to be mindful of, as I think this is what happened to Nutro. Petco is a big box store and the food must fall under a certain wholesale price for Petco to carry and provide the price structure to attract customers. They are, after all, competing with Walmart. Anyway, a food company may change to cheaper ingredients and cheaper formulas, as Nutro as done, in order to keep costs down and still fit in the wholesale profile.

I buy Eagle Pack, now, which is not sold at Petco. It is sold locally at the Green Market in Sherman, Texas, a health food store charging a health food price. About $55 for a 33 lb bag.

I agree; definitely better food choices than PetSmart!!

JackieG

I pop in to Petco for the odd doggie item but don't buy dog food there.  I agree that the prices are good and they carry some of the "better" foods.  I just always find the stores to be kind of diry and not well kept. I don't remember if it was just here, but a while back they had problems with rancid dog food and rodents in the storage areas.The employees seem to not like their jobs and their attitudes are less than helpful.  That may just be the stores here but I just don't like Petco. 

That's the reverse of my situation.  The closest PetSmart to me is not what I'm used to with other PetSmarts I've been to.  It's small, has very little selection, and also just seems dirty to me.  I've been to several others that were the complete opposite...large, nice selection, very clean.  I guess it's just each store and how they are managed.  The Petco near me is very nice, and carries so many good foods compared to the closest PetSmart.  Harry has food allergies, so he's on NB, which I can get at Petco, very conveniently.  I buy all his treats there, too, because they have a pretty decent selection of high quality treats without a bunch of junk in them.  The one time I went to the PetSmart near me, I checked out their treats, and the only good brand they had was Eagle Pack.  But at Petco, I can get a variety of treats...NB, Avoderm, Wellness, etc.  They have their own brand of treats, and they have one kind that are really small and made with blueberries and cranberries...no extra crap (no wheat, corn, soy, byproducts).  Those treats smell so good I almost want to eat them myself!

I *wish* our Petco's food prices were better than the independent store so I wouldn't have to drive 60 miles roundtrip for my food.  Unfortunately the price difference is so huge (about $7-10/bag) that driving makes more sense than spending the money closer to home. :P If gas prices go up to $3/gal that might balance out, but while they're still hovering around 1.50 it just doesn't make sense.

 My Petco does sell Eagle Pack.

I dont have a PetCo near by but there is a Petsmart.  I only buy food for the fish there LOL.    There is a Pet Warehouse nearby and they have a very wide variety of foods.   The cost is competitive with the local "holistic pet food" store so I go to the local store rather than the big box store.   Maybe I'm just weird but I'd rather support a local small business as long as their prices are close enough.

 Really ? I was in Petco yesterday and the prices are through the roof  OUTRAGEOUS. I wouldn't buy a thing in there. They're more expensive than any other store in town by a lot ! For example I buy Solid Gold Green Cow at Pet Supplies Plus for $1.98 and they sell it for $2.78. I get Natural Balance canned catfood for .98 / 5.5oz... they sell it for $1.39. Barking at the Moon was $62... ridiculous.  They will match prices but what good is that ? I'll just go buy the stuff where I saw it cheaper.

Our Petco is pretty nasty too.  It's dusty and it often smells like dog when you walk in, which I hate. 

I try to stick with either the smaller stores or Petsmart.  It's really a pain because it always, always works out that one store never carries everything I need.

 that's really sad about the petco's i hear that are nasty. we have one of the highest rated in our area as far as customer satisfaction. it just all depends on the store manager and district manager in your area. i'm surprised they allow it to get that way. we would get our butts chewed if there were even the least bit dusty specks anywhere!

I was in there yesterday trying to replace a laughing monkey and I have to say I was impressed too.  They seem to have an aisle for the regular old crap and an aisle for the higher end foods.  I didn't check to see whether or not they carry EP, but since my next bag at the feed store where I buy it (about 8 miles away) will be free I'd go there anyway for that one.

Joyce

The particular one I shop at has also recently started marketing more of their high end food better.  They put out large signs and endcaps for the better brands (NB, Wellness, Solid Gold), and I have yet to see them do that for the "garbage" brands as I call them.  The shelving arrangement is noticeably designed to market the higher end brands.  The dog food shelves are at the back of the store, if you're standing in the middle of the store looking at them, from the far left wall towards the right, but the shelves end half-way across, then they have the fish tank areas.  They have the foods arranged from worst to best for the most part, with the better foods towards the right, so they essentially are smack in the middle where they are more likely to grab someone's attention.  It's probably a ploy to market the higher priced brands, but hey, whatever works to get people to buy better food for their dogs is a win-win in my book!

I was in there a couple weeks ago with my mom while she was down visiting.  She noticed the large endcap display of NB, and knew that's what I feed, so she started asking me some questions about the difference in "better" brands.  As I was explaining some basics to her, a store associate walked by and joined in the conversation, and I must say I was pretty impressed with her knowledge.

Both our Petsmart and Petco are only a few years ago. Petco keeps their small animals right in the front so it always smells like hell when you walk in even though the cages are pretty clean. I guess you can't keep that many small animals in a close space and except it to smell great. Their customer service also sucks tremendously, but it's the only place I can find what I need.

Our Petco carries Wellness, Wellness Core, Solid Gold, and a few others I can't think of offhand. I will say, though, that their prices are fairly high, and I pay about $60/bag of Wellness Core, which is split between 3 large dogs. It does last a while, though.

We also have a feed store that sells a few other brands like Chicken Soup and Wellness, which was surprising. The area is getting better with bringing in better brands, but it's still someone difficult to find what you'd like.

That's a good price on NB!!  I really prefer Petco and Petsmart over the smaller stores at this point. Everytime I go into the smaller stores, they seem so snotty.  Petsmart and Petco are much more convenient for me to get to.  I prefer Petsmart over Petco, I find it to be cleaner, but the Petsmart in my town is brand new still.