PetCo...Where EVERYONE Should Go

When we got Norman three years ago, we just started shopping at PetSmart for no particular reason other than that was really the only pet supply store we had ever heard of, and because we were feeding him Science Diet, we had to get it from one of the big pet supply stores or at the vet. Obviously, we also signed up for their customer appreciation program “PetPerks”. Then came Mattie…and then Arthur. I realized that the things we buy were never on sale so we were, for the most part, always paying full price. When I overheard a customer tell the cashier he didn’t bother with the card anymore because it didn’t save him anything, I realized it wasn’t just me.

I decided to go check out PetCo and see what was up with their store. Jackpot! With their Pet Rewards program, once you buy 10 bags of dog food or 10 grooming services, you get one free. That’s in addition to any special prices they have! Not to mention, some of their everyday prices were cheaper than PetSmart. Too Cool! And not only that, we had recently decided to switch dog foods and begin using Eukanuba for Dachshunds. And the PetSmart that I looked in didn’t have it in stock but PetCo did.

I sent an email to the President and CEO of PetSmart explaining the situation and why I was taking my business to PetCo. They had a right to know why they were losing my business – how can they tweak what they don’t realize might need tweaking? The response came from the person who oversees the PetPerks program. Instead of making any attempt to keep my business, she chose to inform me of how many emails sent from the program that I hadn’t even opened (yes, it appears they can track that which is just creepy) and how many different offers they had sent me since we signed up that I didn’t redeem, etc. I didn’t even bother to respond to explain that the email offers I DID open were never beneficial to me which is why I quit bothering to even open the emails. Apparently, PetSmart has so many customers that they have no problem losing a few so I said good-bye.

So, I buy the 14 lb. bag (the ‘big’ bag) of Eukanuba. It’s cheaper than buying two 7 lb. bags (the ‘small’ bag) and feeding three little doggies takes us through the food fairly quickly. One day, I went to buy more and they were out of the big bags. I grabbed a small bag and inquired as to when the big bags would be back in stock. That’s when they explained that the stores don’t carry the big bags of the breed-specific Eukanuba anymore for the small breeds. It makes sense. But not for our purposes here today. Feeding three little dogs is like feeding one big dog. And I could still buy it online but once I paid for shipping, it was more expensive than buying the two small bags. So, being the communicator that I am, one Friday afternoon, I sent an email to the President and CEO of PetCo. I explained the situation and how much we enjoyed using PetCo and wondered if there was any possible way to make special arrangements – possibly have our store order it or something. I included my cell phone in case someone wanted to call me.

I’m not kidding you – on Saturday afternoon, I received a call from the Regional Manager for our area. He explained that Brian, the President/CEO, had forwarded my email to him and that the Auburn Hills store was the only store in the area still carrying the big bag, so he has already made the arrangements for me. There is a big bag of food already at the Flint store waiting for me and he was working on getting two more bags there, and if I will give them 2 weeks notice, they will continue to have a bag delivered to the Flint store from Auburn Hills. At the end of the call, I thanked him so much for helping out. Do you know what he said? He thanked ME for giving them the opportunity to keep our business. Can you believe that? They wanted us to stick around. They appreciated us and our business…

After I hung up, I promised myself that I would do everything I can to spread the word about PetCo’s customer appreciation. Anyone reading this with a pet should take your business to PetCo. They are awesome and they care about the business of each and every customer. I am one person buying dog food and they jumped through hoops to make things work. We are now loyal customers and I hope everyone who reads this will consider making the same decision.

Thanks for indulging me – These days, there’s so much bad news and media, it’s important to take the time to spread the word about GOOD stuff happening!

All My Kids Have Fur-
The Princess