PetSmart is a nationally recognized pet retailer with over a thousand stores all across America. Pet Supermarket is a lesser-known pet retailer unless you live in the Southeastern U.S. They only have a little over 200 stores, mostly in Florida, so they are a much smaller company.
We’ve compared aspects such as general prices, services, loyalty programs, and even websites. In most of these areas, both of these retailers are pretty comparable in those categories. However, PetSmart seems to have a slight edge.
As you read through this guide, the size and reach of each retailer are important to keep in mind. Due to being a much larger company with more popularity and money, this is likely the reason that PetSmart is able to offer some services and prices that Pet Supermarket doesn’t offer, which is the main reason that PetSmart seems to have the edge.
At a Glance
Let’s look at the key points of each product.
Overview of PetSmart:
PetSmart is the largest pet retailer in America, with stores in Canada and Puerto Rico as well. The company has been in business since 1986, originally under the name PetFood Warehouse. They opened their first two stores in Phoenix, Arizona in 1987 selling products for cats and dogs.
The name was officially changed to PetSmart in 1989, at which point they opened their first grooming salon and expanded to sell products for birds, fish, and small pets. Since then, they have launched several programs and services.
One of their biggest endeavors is forming PetSmart Charities, a non-profit organization that helps to save homeless pets. They also established pet adoption centers inside their stores beginning in 2011, with pets that come from animal shelters that are local to that particular store. They have been able to facilitate more than 9.5 million adoptions since then.Other services that are unique to PetSmart include the PetSmart PetsHotel, their boarding service for cats and dogs, and their customer loyalty program which was previously called PetPerks but is now simply called Treats. PetSmart also provides dog training classes and Doggy Day Camp as well, and some of their stores even have veterinary clinics inside of them. You can shop with PetSmart in-store, online, and through their mobile app.
Overview of Pet Supermarket:
Pet Supermarket was founded in 1973 and is a much smaller company, with only a little over 200 stores throughout the U.S. Most of the stores are located in Florida because the company headquarters is in Sunrise, FL. Although they don’t have as many stores, they aren’t a small business by any means.
Pet Supermarket sells over 8,000 products for all kinds of pets, including cats, dogs, fish, birds, reptiles, and small pets. They don’t just sell pet products, though. They also offer services including pet grooming, in-store veterinary clinics, and a self-serve dog wash with shampoo and conditioner included in the cost. That’s a unique feature to Pet Supermarket that allows you to bring your dog in for a quick bath if necessary.
Pet Supermarket has a pet adoption service in which the animals come from local animal welfare organizations. Although the company has fewer stores across the country, they have expanded outside the Southeastern U.S., including opening several stores in Texas and a couple in California as well. Even though they aren’t as widespread as other pet retailers, they do have a website so that anyone, anywhere can shop with them.
How Do PetSmart and Pet Supermarket Compare?
Prices
To determine which pet store has the best prices, we’ve chosen well-known pet brands and added one of their products to our online cart, including dog and cat food, cat litter, dog shampoo, and dog toys. For consistency, we chose the same size for each product.
The products we added to our cart were:
Although some individual products were cheaper through PetSmart and some were cheaper through Pet Supermarket, when all of the above items were added to our carts, PetSmart came out to be cheaper (not including tax and shipping).
Both companies also offer AutoShip and Save. PetSmart offers 35% off your first AutoShip order and 5% off future AutoShip orders. Pet Supermarket offers 30% off your first AutoShip order and 5% off future AutoShip orders. PetSmart also seems to offer more sale prices on its products.
Loyalty Program
PetSmart’s loyalty program, Treats, offers points on every $1 spent both in-store and online (services included), but the number of points you get will vary depending on the market. They also offer opportunities for bonus points, including donating to PetSmart Charities and purchasing certain products. Other perks include exclusive discounts for members, free shipping over $49, a free surprise on your pet’s birthday, and a free Doggie Day Camp session when you buy 10.
Pet Supermarket’s loyalty program, VIP Rewards, offers perks such as a $5 reward for every $100 you spend and Buy 6 Get 1 Free self-serve dog washes in select store locations. They also offer a 10% discount to Seniors and Military Personnel on the last Tuesday of every month available in-store only.
Services
PetSmart provides a wide range of services, mostly for dog owners. Some of their services include dog training classes, including obedience and more advanced training, Doggie Day Camp if you need a babysitter for your dog, and boarding for both dogs and cats. They also offer grooming, veterinary care, and pet adoptions. However, boarding and vet care are not available at all locations.
Pet Supermarket has its fair share of services too. One of their most popular services is the self-serve dog wash. For $10 per dog, you can wash your dog inside the store with shampoo, conditioner, and a treat provided for your dog. Other services include grooming, adoption, a pet care clinic, and dog training, although pet care and training may not be offered in every store.
Website Features
Both PetSmart and Pet Supermarket have a website to make shopping from home easier, especially if there is not a store nearby. Both websites have the ability to filter by type of pet and specific pet product, as well as a search bar to find a specific product more easily.
As far as the most popular brands and products go, both websites seem to have a similar selection of products as well. And, you can view all of their services on the website as well, although PetSmart has more information about their services on their website.
One of the features unique to Pet Supermarket is that they have a link to their local advertisement to view online so that you can see which products are on sale in case you don’t receive the ad in the mail or newspaper. However, PetSmart has a mobile app that you can access instantly from your phone to shop from.
Store Locations
PetSmart has over 1,500 store locations in the United States, with at least one store in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. But, most states have more than one PetSmart store location. California has the most PetSmart locations at around 160, which is about 10% of all store locations.
Pet Supermarket only has a little more than 200 store locations in the United States. Most of them are located in the Southeastern United States and Texas, with two locations in California. Florida has the most store locations of any state, with over 100 and accounting for about 50% of all Pet Supermarket locations.
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What the Users Say
No matter what products, services, and special features each of these pet retailers has, one thing that’s important to consider is how customers feel about their experience shopping with them. That’s why we’ve compiled customer reviews regarding the quality of both the products and services offered by PetSmart and Pet Supermarket.
Most PetSmart reviews are positive and customers rave about their wide product selection, easy-to-use website, and overall friendliness of their employees. However, some reviewers feel like the employees aren’t as knowledgeable about pets other than cats and dogs, and often don’t have answers to their questions as far as what products they need.
However, the quality of PetSmart’s services gets mixed reviews, particularly about their dog grooming. Some people said that their groomers do a fabulous job, while others were not satisfied with their results. There isn’t one consensus that is overwhelming, however, and the quality of dog grooming through PetSmart is likely to vary per store location.
With Pet Supermarket, many reviewers say that they have a good selection of products and tend to have the products that they are looking for. However, a lot of customers say that they are hesitant to purchase those products from Pet Supermarket because they can get the same product cheaper elsewhere and will only purchase during a sale or with a discount code.
The services at Pet Supermarket receive a lot of positive reviews, especially about their self-serve dog bathing area. They feel as if that is very convenient for them to bathe their dogs in addition to being easy to use. They also rave about the helpfulness of the employees and the cleanliness of the stores.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a place to buy all of your pet supplies, then either of these companies is a great choice and they are pretty comparable in terms of the products and services they offer. PetSmart seems to have a slight edge on all of our comparison factors, but they are a more well-known company and larger company, so they have more store locations in addition to selling most of their products at slightly lower prices than Pet Supermarket.
PetSmart also has a mobile app and seems to offer better perks on their loyalty programs, in addition to having services such as boarding and Doggie Day Camp. However, Pet Supermarket has a unique service of its own, their self-serve dog bathing area with everything provided. Ultimately, the better company just comes down to what you are looking for with your budget as well as what kinds of services you are needing for your pet.
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