Review Summary
Chewy and PetSmart are fierce rivals in the world of pet supply companies. Both work to provide extensive selections of products while keeping prices fair and offering convenient shopping options. Chewy is an online-only company, and they excel at providing this service since it is their only focus. On the other hand, PetSmart offers tons of services, which makes it more of a one-stop-shop experience.
Both stores are, rightfully, quite popular among pet enthusiasts. The appeal of their frequent sales and seasonal product rotations keeps both companies relevant and competitive. They offer fast shipping options, with PetSmart even offering same-day home delivery and pick-up in stores to get your products to you fast.
Chewy seeks to provide products to people with pets of all types, even livestock like pigs and chickens. PetSmart happily focuses exclusively on small animal products, serving people with dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, and other small animals. Both offer products for pond care, although Chewy’s selection is more extensive.
At a Glance
Let’s look at the key points of each product.
Overview of Chewy:
Shipping
Chewy has quickly established itself as one of the top sellers of pet supplies in the US. They offer fast shipping with free 1–3 day shipping for orders over $49, and they can ship anywhere within the contiguous US. Unfortunately, they cannot ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO addresses, or international addresses.
Product Selection
They carry supplies for everything from cats and dogs to horses and pigs. They also have supplies for pond care and maintenance. Chewy is a fantastic source of supplies to care for all of your pets, as well as the wild birds and squirrels in your yard.
Some people do find it challenging to order in-demand items that have recently been on sale, but Chewy does set aside products to meet the needs of customers who have auto-ship orders set up, so you’re not left hanging without necessary products, like pet food.
Customer Service
Chewy prides itself in excellent customer service, and they are known to send gifts and cards to customers after the loss of a pet, during the holidays, or during a pet’s birthday. Their customer service is available via chat, email, and phone, giving you plenty of options to reach out with questions or concerns about products or your orders.
Physical Locations
At this time, Chewy does not offer in-store shopping options. This allows them to focus on the processes associated with online order fulfillment to ensure customers receive their items in a timely manner. This does mean that if you run out of a product at the last minute, you may have to make a trip to a local pet store while waiting on your Chewy order to arrive.
Overview of PetSmart:
Shipping
Like Chewy, PetSmart is only able to ship within the contiguous US, and they cannot service customers with international addresses or addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or APO addresses. They offer free shipping on orders over $49, and in most areas, PetSmart offers same-day delivery via DoorDash. They also offer curbside pick-up options.
Product Selection
PetSmart’s focus is on small animals, so they carry all the supplies you need for cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, and other small animals. They do not have supplies for livestock animals or horses. They do have some pond supplies, but their pond supply products are limited and less inclusive than Chewy’s.
Customer Service
This company has been in existence since 1986, and they didn’t make it this far with poor customer service. PetSmart works hard to provide excellent customer service and offers hassle-free returns in stores and online. They also work with local rescues and shelters to adopt out animals, and they work with charities to provide for animals, which shows PetSmart’s commitment to the communities they are in.
Physical Locations
PetSmart has around 1,500 physical store locations, so you’re never too far from a PetSmart store if you’re within the contiguous US. The options of in-person and online shopping make their products more accessible to many people, and it allows you to quickly run by the store to grab things at the last minute. Or, even better, have products delivered right to your front door!
What Are the Differences Between Them?
Shipping
It’s almost a tie between Chewy and PetSmart when it comes to shipping, but PetSmart does pull slightly ahead because of their same-day home delivery and curbside pick-up options. Having physical store locations allows PetSmart to provide faster shipping to more people.
Price
The prices between PetSmart and Chewy are almost similar, but Chewy does win this category as their products regularly run slightly less expensive. Both stores periodically put items on sale and offer deals that make expensive products more affordable. Chewy has fewer overhead expenses associated with their products since they are not shipped from warehouses to stores, where employees would then be paid to put the items on the shelves. Some Chewy products run up to 20% less expensive than PetSmart, although the prices at baseline tend to be very similar.
Product Selection
When it comes down to it, Chewy carries more products than PetSmart. They have a broader focus and have supplies for small and large animals, while PetSmart’s product selection is condensed only to serve small animals. Even in the realm of small animals, Chewy’s selection is far greater than what PetSmart offers.
Convenience
Since there are so many physical locations, this makes PetSmart the clear winner of the convenience category. If you need a last-minute item, you can run by PetSmart and grab it. Unfortunately, Chewy cannot keep up with this convenience since they don’t have in-person stores. Chewy can’t provide same-day shipping or pick-up options due to the lack of physical locations.
What the Users Say
We’ve looked to see what people are saying about Chewy and PetSmart to help you determine which store is better for your needs. Both companies are neck-in-neck when it comes to the services and products they provide, although PetSmart does edge out Chewy on convenience and shipping options, while Chewy often provides lower prices.
Customers rave about PetSmart’s product selection for products like aquarium décor and pet toys. One customer even considers PetSmart to be a great place to get “virtually everything” needed for the care of small animals. They find the staff to generally be kind and helpful, although there are some individual exceptions to this. Customer service is, overall, highly praised, and most people are satisfied with it.
For Chewy, customers regularly discuss the excellent customer service provided by the employees. The large selection of products and fair prices are a hot topic in Chewy reviews, with most people being blown away by the product options and overall lower prices found through Chewy than through other large pet supply retailers.
The general consensus between Chewy and PetSmart is that many people seem happier with Chewy than PetSmart. This is, in part, due to the extended services that PetSmart offers, like grooming and boarding, which opens more opportunities for people to be unhappy with the service. Chewy, on the other hand, only provides products to customers and doesn’t offer additional services, which means that if people are happy with the products, selection, and prices, then they’re likely to be pleased with the company.
Conclusion
Chewy may not be the clear winner of all categories, but it is the overall winner when compared with PetSmart. Chewy offers more products for more animals, generally at lower prices than PetSmart. They offer fantastic customer service and fast shipping, although they are not able to provide same-day delivery or pick-up.
The appeal of PetSmart comes from its convenience of having so many physical store locations and same-day shipping and pick-up options. Their customer service is top-notch, but their higher prices and smaller product selection allow Chewy to eke PetSmart out of the top spot.
- You may also want to read: 10 Best Cat Foods at PetSmart – Reviews & Top Picks
