I recently read an article, one of many, that talked about what's wrong with big box pet stores. I couldn't help but wonder, 'But what are they doing right?'
"A big box store (also known as a hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment that's usually part of a chain of stores." -- Wikipedia
Sure, they've made it tough on the little guy by being able to offer so many low-priced products, but they also have their silver linings painted on by millions of satisfied customers. Ask a small pet store owner and a regular consumer how they feel about the megastores and you'll get two different answers.
So let's get down to the nitty-gritty of what the big box stores are doing right and what they're doing wrong.
What's right about big box stores?
1. Petco has opened Reddy SoHo in New York City -- located at 125 Prince Street -- that promises to be an all-around riveting and adventurous experience for dogs and their guardians. This will be the flagship store for Petco's premium lifestyle brand and was inspired by millennials (the largest group of pet owners at 32%).
Its offerings sound like a "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" experience but for dogs and include:
> Lounge area with free Wi-Fi
> An "adventure concierge" (upcoming) to plan activities with your pet
> A fitting station
> Personalized pet tags and monogramming
> Sanitary water stations
> A "treatery" and whipped cream cups
> A JustFoodForDogs nutrition station
> Walls designed to use as backdrops on social media
> A "Bark Board" for community updates
> A pet polaroid wall featuring shoppers and their animals
2. The Banfield Pet Hospital located inside PetSmart (operated independently) is one of the most reputable animal care facilities available. They pay attention to work culture, employee satisfaction, diversity, and quality of services. They're in the top echelon of veterinarians.
3. I had an experience at PetSmart I'll never forget. Years ago, I took one of my dogs in to browse. I had rescued her, she had just been roaming alone, and she had a nervous and skittish personality. One of the employees stopped to say hello to us and recognized she was afraid of him.
He spent the next hour gently coaxing and speaking to her until she responded by walking towards him, tail wagging. Meanwhile, we talked about puppy training and the situation in general. This was customer-centricity, putting the customer first and at the center of everything you do, at its best.
4. Chewy.com may not be a brick-and-mortar store, yet, but it wouldn't be an article about the successes and failures of the big boys without including them.
Exceptional customer service puts the company heads-and-tails above the rest. They're well-known for writing handwritten cards and even surprising customers with oil paintings of their pets.
And talk about excellent word-of-mouth advertising. I live on LinkedIn and have heard several people rave about their customer service. It's just the way to do business in their book.
They've also created a veterinarian-only marketplace designed to streamline pharmacy operations and grow veterinary clinic revenue.
No wonder they've recently partnered with Disney to create hundreds of Disney-themed toys, leashes, collars, and more.
5. Petsuppliesplus.com has "New puppy guides," "New kitten guides," "New fish guides," and "New small animal guides" that are comprehensive, easy-to-read, and proves their willingness to give customers what they want. They even have a pharmacy, same-day delivery, and a self-serve dog wash. What's not to love?
6. Walmart stocks 1,800 pet products and has a pet prescription service called Pet Rx. They've also recently announced they'll be offering pet insurance and dog-walking services. The big dogs came to play.
What's wrong about big-box stores?
1. Some of them still sell animals like Petco and PetSmart. In this day and age, with over 6 million companion animals being admitted into animal shelters every year, the decision lacks common sense and compassion. The effort and funding the upkeep for them requires could be focused on:
> Hosting more adoption days
> Introducing Hydrotherapy for dogs with joint pain, elderly, and injured dogs
> Hiring and training more employees to help customers with choices and provide pet education
> Creating a grooming training program
> Donating more funds to local animal rescues and shelters
2. PetSmart's profits soar as employee morale plummets. According to www.petbusiness.com, PetSmart employees have joined with the retail worker advocacy group United for Respect to raise awareness for deteriorating working conditions and animal treatment since private equity firm BC Partners took over in 2015. A report was published in September, 2021 laying out the grievances.