Petco

I walk in and it doesn’t take me long to see the sad, vacant eyes, longing to be free. Those tiny fragile bodies long to be loved and in a place that is warm, safe, where their dream of running with the wind blowing against them is possible. But instead they are stuck behind the register awaiting their next customer.
This review is an effort to get Petco Corporate to care about this store.
I mean, I walk in and the store is huge, but so little staff. I mean, I know you don’t need an army of people to man a pet store, but sometimes more than one customer requires assistance. The employees look like they are stuck in cages and on display. The buzzing of the fluorescent likes linger like Nigerian mosquitoes waiting to devour you.
I walk alone, aimlessly looking for Nutro brand cat food, not aware that they have changed the packaging and yet again moved the organic cat food.
I cry out for help.
It echoes against the darkness.
My voice sounds hollow as it would break against the pealing pale of the concrete painted walls. Footsteps in the distance.
I shudder to think how much time has elapsed since I first arrived.
Footsteps in the distance.
Help please I say, my voice tearing against the cacophonous silence, a symphony of desperation. My wandering has turned to wondering.
My confusion only eased by the imminent suffering of my lower vertebrae if I ever do acquire a 40lb bag of the organic food that my feline companion must consume as she ages from cute cat into natures dust magnet.
Footsteps, they are no more.
I see a younger version of me, except something has been stripped from him. It seems as if he has traded in his soul and desire to return to the human race for a Petco vest. His unkempt box haircut, littered with animal fur. He smells of the reptile tank and his hands are wet. No doubt he has been cleaning fish enclosures. I inquire about the cat food. Our footsteps now litter the aisles, walking toward a Nutro display. Luckily I am a preferred member. I will save money. I follow him to the register and he asks me if my purchase will be all. I answer… yes.
A single tear streams down from his face, as if I could have invited him back to civilization. As if I held some mystical power over setting him free. If he was trapped in a giant aquarium, I may have doomed him to one day be flushed into the abyss, never to see the likes of him again.
Or it was allergy season. Either case, I could not free my doppelgänger. I will return though and I hope to bring you news of life outside of your wonder-​world of pet-​smells and Oreo cookies that are just for dogs.
Please Petco… Please give your employees something to live for. I see in their eyes a despair that can only be known as «Waiting to be flushed»
fin
get it… fin…cuz a fish has.nvm.

I went to get some fish, the employee was quick to show up and help, but wasn’t knowledgeable about the fish at all and seemed like he was just out of it. They had a bad selection of fish and they weren’t labeled in any way that I could tell what was what. There were several sick fish and there were a lot of dead fish throughout the tanks, so I feel like I’m gonna regret having bought anything there.
*Update*
Less than a week since I got the fish and they are all dead…

Unfortunately, I have to go to this pet store because the other chain doesn’t carry my pet’s food and I can’t always use Amazon Prime. This store is in terrible shape! The front doors are not ADA accessible, and if you have a cart full of heavy food, good luck opening the door by hand! The floor is worn in many places, with the steel floor structure showing through where the tile has worn away. The last three times I have been in there has been a giant puddle in the Nutro aisle – what is going on, and why don’t they fix it? There is usually only one cashier and it takes forever to check out. I have seen a manager yell at staff. I hate going here!!!

I usually like this petco, I adopted a cat and two ferrets from them in the past. But today I was shocked by their customer service. I went in to get some fish and no one was to be found in the fish department, I went looking for anyone who even worked there and finally I found a guy and asked if they had someone in the fish department. Another employee came by and told the guy he had to get my fish so he came reluctantly. After awhile he got my fish and I had some questions so I began to ask and he told me he wasn’t a fish specialist. Then I just politely asked «Is there a fish specialist around?» and then guy answered «No he’s not around.» and started to snicker. I was pissed by his attitude so I said fine and went about getting the fish I already had. He couldn’t figure out how to close the bag and left no air for the fish. (I worked at a pet store before if you get fish without enough air they will die its supposed to be 75% air 25%water) When I was at the cash register the same guy wouldn’t help me at all, I had my dog with me so I was having a bit of trouble. I asked for a bag multiple times and finally got one. The service sucked and he made me feel like he was doing me a favor by helping me.
The dog trainer is great, I always appreciate his attitude and usually the customer service is decent.
This man really made me feel like shit and didn’t help me in the least. Hopefully I will never have to get fish from him again.

I love Petco so much thank you guys for helping me adopt my robo hamsters! I love Petco!!! You guys make my day so much better u guys rock

My review lies somewhere between 4 & 5 stars:
Grooming Dept. — 5 stars. They’ve always been able to squeeze us in whenever our dog decides that she wants to get into something (usually the creek in our neighborhood, which leaves her smelling like dead funk). Our dog has lab-​like fur, so it’s really just a bathe, moisturize and nail trim for her (no fancy haircuts). The staff is always welcoming and gushes over how sweet & good she was when we pick her up :)
Training Dept. (Mike) — 10 billion stars! I can’t say enough good things about Mike! Our dog is an AmStaff mutt/​mix with about a medium energy level. I think when we rescued her she *might* have had some prior training, but otherwise (being our first dog) we were all beginners! She passed the two obedience courses with flying colors, and with the tools and skills that Mike taught us, we have been able to teach her a few «party» tricks as well. (Side note, Mike is a Redskins fan, so how can you go wrong?!?)
Staffers — 4.5 stars. I have experienced most of them being courteous and informative when I come to them with questions. I’m knocking it down that half star just because of an instance when at the cash register on a busy day, my cashier was rolling his eyes and sighing at another associate who was having trouble on their cash register. The cattiness was a turn-​off and I booked it out of there that day.
Product Selection/​Pricing — 4 stars. I haven’t really looked into the pricing thing too much, but I’m sure there could be cheaper alternatives out there for the things we buy. However, with the Pet Perks 5% back combined with the outing for the dog to pick out a new toy/​bone, how can I not enjoy a little shopping trip for cat food? As with a lot of «big box» stores, they are limited in what they carry in stock sometimes. If you snooze when it comes down to finding your pup a holiday outfit or cold-​weather gear, you might miss out on the correct size.
*Bonus — Last Chance Animal Rescue does adoptions all day everyday of cats and dogs! Please note though that since it is run by volunteers, I have been in there at 6:30 and seen them close up shop early since I suppose it was a slow day. (Their listed hours are noon until 7PM.)
In conclusion, I love this store, and they give me more discounts than PetSmart does, so I will keep shopping there!

Pricing for wet and dry dog and cat food is expensive. Unless a dog or cat is finicky, or has been prescribed a specific diet by a veterinarian, this reviewer suggests that pet parents do some research by carefully examining the sales offerings for pet food at local grocery stores and/​or examine website options before buying from this Petco.
The fish department sells everything an aquarium enthusiast would need for his/​her hobby — various sizes of tanks, gravel, filtration supplies/​systems, fish medications, decorations, chemicals and fish food. Most of the tropical fish sold are fresh water. There is a limited selection of salt water fish.
A plecostomus my husband and I purchased from this Petco, in 2012, has grown and thrived.
The employees assigned to the fish department have been eager to assist my husband and I in the selection of fish and fish supplies.
There is also an orphan/​quarantine tank at this shop. Unwanted tropical fish, that are donated by customers, live in this tank. Customers attracted to the idea of getting free fish acquire them from this aquarium. This reviewer’s husband was able to acquire two healthy blue gouramis for our tank at home.
Fish enthusiasts, willing to make the effort to fetch fish from this orphan/​quarantine tank, need to be knowledgeable regarding the types of fresh water tropical fish. Several years ago, my husband and I retrieved what we were told were five gouramis. It wasn’t until our betta and plecostomus were killed that we found out we had five combative cichlids in the tank.
In closing, buyer beware. This pet shop gets this reviewer’s two-​star rating. Don’t buy a betta from this Petco. The bettas offered for sale at this Petco seem to be listless. Sad to say, it is not unusual to go to the betta display and see dead ones laying in the bottom of their plastic containers.

Good selection of dog food, this is the only reason I patronize this store (Pals Rewards help.) The staff is poorly trained and unprofessional. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have listened to personal conversions between employees while waiting to check out. If you voice a complaint the employees do not even respond. The groomers seem nice but not very skilled.

Terrible customer service. I had a 5:30 appointment today which was great because my son has soccer practice at 6:15. I was going to drop the dog off, get a bite to eat, and head to practice. I got there at 5:30, but no one was in the grooming area. They paged someone, they called someone, but still no one came. Finally they told me the groomer never even comes in until 6:00. WTF? They even saw my apt. In the computer. I couldn’t bring the dog with me so I had to drive her home in rush hour to be late to practice. No dinner and no grooming. What an f-​ing waste of my time! Go to Pet Smart, people!

This Petco looks a lot nicer on the inside than it does on the outside. It’s in a stretch of strip mall area on Rt. 1, in a convenient location. This building is a little farther back, partially obscured by a cat hospital, which makes it look like it’s not in business or closed. I drove in on a Sunday afternoon, worried it was already closed. It closes at 7 on Sundays which was incredibly convenient to me, but I almost contemplated not even driving by because it looked deserted.
The inside is open and clean, and the grooming area looks very nice. Their placement of Friskies and Fancy Feast is a little odd in relation to the rest of the cat food section (it’s next to the cat litter?)

The outward appearance of the store looks vacant and as if it is about to close. Subconsciously I patronize this store because I don’t want it to close.
The store is small, but has all of the standard pet store items. I typically go to this store for dog food, fish food, dog clothing, and dog treats.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. The managers introduce themselves to you. They are the primary reason I am loyal to this store.
I have used the grooming salon once (so far) for my Toy Poodle/​Bichon Frise. I was satisfied with the results, and would consider allowing them to groom her again.
I really wish they had a vet like PetSmart does. That would be quite helpful. Perhaps in the future.

I would have to agree with Bill S on the fish department here. Employees avoid this department like the plague. I guess that makes such sense since it appeared that ¹⁄₃ off the fish seamed to be qu

The outside of the store looked extremely sketchy. Inside, complete opposite. They only had a small tiny animal section so if you’re looking for more items you’ll need to go elsewhere.

So the outside looks run down but inside they do a goo job of keeping essentials. More than once the employees helped to get me essential from snow melt to car accessories. They are really friendly and helpful.

This Petco may not look too pleasing from the outside but they have a lot going for them inside. There is a wide selection of items and pets. I’ve came in for Christmas to get my dog some stocking stuffers (don’t judge) and my cousins dogs some presents. I found toys and treats fit for each pooch. Unlike other chain and private pets stores I’ve been to, the isles are kept straightened up. I recently came in to have my dog groomed after a few failed attempts trying local groomers. Taylor was our groomer and she asked the necessary questions prior to our visit and made the process a breeze and was able to get me in the same day. After dropping my Furkid off I browsed around the store, played with a few birds, and looked at the fish selection. They also have cats, dogs, rodents and reptiles. I decided to get a betta fish, the plant holder and tank combo and of course the food, gravel and water purifier. I was surprised with how much fish accessories and tank options are available. I toyed with the idea of getting a salt water fish or a combo of their GloFish but I’ve always had luck with Bettas. They even have little baby Bettas. While poking around I had a few employees ask if I needed help and were not obnoxious about it. I like that. Shortly after getting home I set up my tank to let the water settle to room temp and about the time I got done I got a call from Taylor that my dog was ready. The fastest turn around ever! When I picked him up, just perfection. Exactly what I asked for. I really wanted to leave a tip but of course I don’t carry cash and they wouldn’t let me add it to my card, so if you’re a tipper don’t forget your cash. I will be scheduling again with Taylor in the future.

I must say– I am very pleased with my boy’s grooming. He got cleaned out so nicely! It made it even more obvious that the grooming he received where I took him the previous time, was a true dud!
I speak as an experienced multi pet owner throughout my life and now also have 3 grandpuppies! Grooming Doodles requires patience, expertise and time. Can’t rush it and get it right. Today, I got all three– Patience, Expertise and Time.
A big THANK YOU to the Grooming Salon!
We’ll be back before long.

For the fish section. Today after waiting several minutes for service went and asked a cashier. She paged someone. Five minutes later a young couple did the same thing. Five more minutes I informed the cashier that no one showed up and I left.
The time before the fish were mis-​marked so it took a few minutes of an employees and my time to walk back and forth and get the right item number and price.
I wish there was another store close by to buy tropical fish.

This review applies to the grooming section at Petco.
My husband and I have been taking our black lab, Gracie here for over a year to have her nails trimmed and anal glands expressed. Today at 1:30pm we went there and witnessed an employee dragging a dog across the floor by his neck. This was in the grooming area that is encased by windows. This was happening where the employee knew he would be seen by customers and his manager so I can only imagine what happens in the rooms that are not visible.
Turns out, the grooming manager was in the room when this happened and saw it happen. There was a dog fight between two male pit pulls right before this happened because the same employee who dragged the dog did not have one of them on a leash.
As soon as I saw this happen I found the store manager, who also brought out the assistant store manager and the grooming manager. I told them the story and they seemed shocked. They apologized and told me they would call me after they had reviewed the situation (still have not called).
I am posting this to alert any loving dog owners out there who may be using the grooming section at Petco. This is completely ridiculous — as I said, this happened in the glass room where everyone can see in, so who knows what is happening in the back rooms. Lack of oversight is an understatement! All I can say is that employee is lucky it was not my Gracie he was dragging. I am so disgusted by this behavior and ultimately with the management for hiring such a disrespectful and evil person. A «one star» rating is more than they deserve. Unilocal,allow a «zero star» rating for cases such as these.
We certainly will NEVER go back to this Petco — for grooming or otherwise. Please feel free to contact me regarding this posting if you have any questions.

Friendly workers and a decent selection despite its small size, if you can find the item you’re looking for. It was a little disorganized the last time I went looking for some turtle food. There were a couple different displays, and it took me half an hour to find the kind I was looking for.

This petco is smaller than the petsmarts on Rt 1 but it has a better selection of foods, treats and accessories. They have the dog food that you normally have to go to smaller pet boutique stores for, but for a cheaper cost. this is great for me because my dog is allegic to gluten. the staff is also really friendly and interact with my dogs whenever we stop by.