How does Petco survive?

On every item I have checked, Petco is more expensive than Petsmart.
Also, the two often have branches near each other. Do you understand
why some people visit Petco and why it survives despite higher prices?

I understand exactly what you mean. I think the answer is 'loss
leaders'. Stores, like Petco and Petsmart run specials or have lower
prices on certain items to lure you into the store. So you buy that
cheap bag of Kitten Chow and then see a cute collar as you are going
towards check-out. It's a ploy, a game that they all play. I'm not
bad-mouthing them, I'm just saying that it is a pretty universal
practice. With gas prices being what they are, I'm less likely to shop
around, if you know what I mean.

Stan
www.Kitten-Pictures.com
For the most adorable Kitten Pictures on the net!

stan beck wrote:
I understand exactly what you mean. I think the answer is 'loss
leaders'. Stores, like Petco and Petsmart run specials or have lower
prices on certain items to lure you into the store. So you buy that
cheap bag of Kitten Chow and then see a cute collar as you are going
towards check-out. It's a ploy, a game that they all play. I'm not
bad-mouthing them, I'm just saying that it is a pretty universal
practice. With gas prices being what they are, I'm less likely to
shop around, if you know what I mean.

Stan
www.Kitten-Pictures.com
For the most adorable Kitten Pictures on the net!

All retail stores do this - grocery, mini-marts, anyplace that sells (yes,
even resteraunts) will run a special on something to bring in the customers,
in the hopes that they will buy something in addition to the special.
Reputable stores will offer rainchecks (a card or slip of paper that states
that you will get the special price when the item is back in stock) when the
special item is sold out, or a comparable item at a comperable price.
Seedier stores will do the bair-and-switch - lure you into the store with
the special item, then try and sell you a different, supposedly better, item
at a much higher cost.

In our town, there is a Petco on the east end, and a PetsMart on the west
end. The PetCo is located in a building that used to be a Circuit City, but
it closed up after a much larger Best Buy was built. This town is screwy -
all the elctronic stores on the east end, pets stores all over, and all the
'home improvement' stores on the west end (Furrow, which closed when Lowes
opened, now there is also a Menards, and they are buidling a Super WalMart,
and a Home Depot will be taking over the old WalMart building. All three
existing stores withing a mile of each other boggle).

On Wed, 17 May 2006 09:38:50 GMT, Kiran wrote:

On every item I have checked, Petco is more expensive than Petsmart.
Also, the two often have branches near each other. Do you understand
why some people visit Petco and why it survives despite higher prices?
Been to a super market lately? You go into a supermarket in city
AAA go into the same chain a couple towns over and you'll notice the
prices are different. Same item, same chain, different prices.

Many retailers do that.

You also have to consider rent/utilities/etc. at the store. I've
found around here the prices at both Petco and Petsmart are
about equal.

I tend to avoid our local PetsMart since when you get close to
christmas it tends to take more than an hour to get out of their
parking lot (large shopping center, one exit.)

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On Wed, 17 May 2006 09:50:04 -0400, "Magic Mood Jeep©"
wrote:

stan beck wrote:
I understand exactly what you mean. I think the answer is 'loss
leaders'. Stores, like Petco and Petsmart run specials or have lower
prices on certain items to lure you into the store. So you buy that
cheap bag of Kitten Chow and then see a cute collar as you are going
towards check-out. It's a ploy, a game that they all play. I'm not
bad-mouthing them, I'm just saying that it is a pretty universal
practice. With gas prices being what they are, I'm less likely to
shop around, if you know what I mean.

Stan
www.Kitten-Pictures.com
For the most adorable Kitten Pictures on the net!

All retail stores do this - grocery, mini-marts, anyplace that sells (yes,
even resteraunts) will run a special on something to bring in the customers,
in the hopes that they will buy something in addition to the special.
Reputable stores will offer rainchecks (a card or slip of paper that states
that you will get the special price when the item is back in stock) when the
special item is sold out, or a comparable item at a comperable price.
Seedier stores will do the bair-and-switch - lure you into the store with
the special item, then try and sell you a different, supposedly better, item
at a much higher cost.

In our town, there is a Petco on the east end, and a PetsMart on the west
end. The PetCo is located in a building that used to be a Circuit City, but
it closed up after a much larger Best Buy was built. This town is screwy -
all the elctronic stores on the east end, pets stores all over, and all the
'home improvement' stores on the west end (Furrow, which closed when Lowes
opened, now there is also a Menards, and they are buidling a Super WalMart,
and a Home Depot will be taking over the old WalMart building. All three
existing stores withing a mile of each other boggle).

And soon Wal-Mart will open an electronics chain to comepete with Best
Buy.

Here we have two Home Depots, one is about to get a Lowes across the
steeet.


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Kiran wrote:
On every item I have checked, Petco is more expensive than Petsmart.

And almost every item at PetSmart is more expensive than other places I
can buy it.

Also, the two often have branches near each other. Do you understand
why some people visit Petco and why it survives despite higher prices?

PetSmart refuses to sell live or frozen prey for reptiles. This is
absolutley insane. They will sell cow meat for dogs and cats, and
feeder fish, but not rodent meat for reptiles. That's why I don't
patronize them. So I have to buy my mice at PetCo, when I run out of
mice (I order them frozen on the internet). PetSmart also does not
carry small feeder Goldfish - they carry some really small useless
species.

AFAIC, all of these stores suck. I have to buy my dog and cat chow
from PetCo. I pay 21.99/bag for Eukanuba dog food - 15# - in San Jose
I went to a smaller non-chain pet store and got it for $14.99/bag.
Insane.

-L.

"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Kiran wrote:
On every item I have checked, Petco is more expensive than Petsmart.

And almost every item at PetSmart is more expensive than other places I
can buy it.

Also, the two often have branches near each other. Do you understand
why some people visit Petco and why it survives despite higher prices?

PetSmart refuses to sell live or frozen prey for reptiles. This is
absolutley insane. They will sell cow meat for dogs and cats, and
feeder fish, but not rodent meat for reptiles. That's why I don't
patronize them. So I have to buy my mice at PetCo, when I run out of
mice (I order them frozen on the internet). PetSmart also does not
carry small feeder Goldfish - they carry some really small useless
species.

AFAIC, all of these stores suck. I have to buy my dog and cat chow
from PetCo. I pay 21.99/bag for Eukanuba dog food - 15# - in San Jose
I went to a smaller non-chain pet store and got it for $14.99/bag.
Insane.

-L.

Do you have a boa constrictor? I *LOVE* them, they are so cool. I had a
friend who had a huge boa - about 7 foot long and 8 inches thick. How often
do you have to give it a mouse? My friend also gave his boa small chickens.

--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

My Petco sells some premium brand cat food that PetSmart does not carry.

Sue
"Kiran" wrote in message
...
On every item I have checked, Petco is more expensive than Petsmart.
Also, the two often have branches near each other. Do you understand
why some people visit Petco and why it survives despite higher prices?

On 17 May 2006 10:00:34 -0700, "-L." wrote:
PetSmart refuses to sell live or frozen prey for reptiles. This is
absolutley insane. They will sell cow meat for dogs and cats, and
feeder fish, but not rodent meat for reptiles. That's why I don't
patronize them. So I have to buy my mice at PetCo, when I run out of
mice (I order them frozen on the internet). PetSmart also does not
carry small feeder Goldfish - they carry some really small useless
species.
Local regulations?


AFAIC, all of these stores suck. I have to buy my dog and cat chow
from PetCo. I pay 21.99/bag for Eukanuba dog food - 15# - in San Jose
I went to a smaller non-chain pet store and got it for $14.99/bag.
Insane.
Want to know a secret? If you go to your local grocery store they
often have IAMS/Eukanuba food for less than the pet store.

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CatNipped wrote:
Do you have a boa constrictor? I *LOVE* them, they are so cool. I had a
friend who had a huge boa - about 7 foot long and 8 inches thick. How often
do you have to give it a mouse? My friend also gave his boa small chickens.

not boa constrictor, but both of my snakes are constrictors. I have a
anerythristic corn snake (grey and white with yellow along his neck -
he lacks the red gene of the wild-type) and a Ball python. They both
get two adult mice every 7-10 days. I grew both of them from tiny
snakelets, which is the fun part of owning a snake, but they live 30+
years in captivity. I feed thawed frozen mice so no squeaking at meal
time here. The coolest snake I had was a brazilian Rainbow Boa:

http://www.vpi.com/5VPIBreeders/Braz...RainbowBoa.htm

His Daddy was 7 ft long, and by a year and a half, he was almost 5
feet. I was afraid he would take my cat Mimi - she would sit outside
his tank and taunt him. So I traded him to a guy I know who had a huge
collection of exotic snakes, and took really good care of them.

-L.