Not sure what’s planned to go in the other half yet, I was in kind of a rush to get home for a meeting and forgot to look on my way out. If you check out the FB page you can see the new wall that’s on the left when you walk through the doors, it basically goes to the back of the store but gets a little wider right before the bathroom. Although my brain knows retail is hard right now and that lease is probably pricey, that did hurt my heart to see it so much smaller with so much less stuff 
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That’s where I went. I thought maybe they were redecorating, but no, the store is small now.
As for Smartpak, I too have a sheet with the 10 year guarantee. It has a very small hole in it and is only 3 years old. I was thinking of replacing it closer to year 9 if it holds up that long.
I will really be bummed to lose those SmartPak ultimate turnouts. I only turned mine in once for a gelding who is TOUGH on blankets. I think they are better than Rambos for half the price.
Also, same experience at Dover tent sale - really disappointing. Are we doing this to ourselves? We shopped Dover and Smartpak, killed the local independent tack shops, and in time we’ll have neither?
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regarding Smartpak supplements, evidently they recently changed the adhesive strips used to seal the packets as this last shipment we got for Lexie to remove the cover strip is a task, it is as though the strip was fused wielded to seal the pack. Before the cover strip was easy to remove.
Also we recently had our two year old horse (Fig) colic, he was on the Smartpak colic coverage, they paid fully in a timely manor for his colic surgery (nearly $13,000). He has about six more weeks of confinement before he can go back to work. He has been pretty good about this, entertainment has been supplied by the group of crows that have taken up the task of giving him something to watch.
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I find this to be a random occurrence from time to time.
One month will be like the strip is super glued on the cells, then a month of way too easy to peel strip from the cells, some months of ‘normal’ to remove strip from the cells - then start the cycle over again.
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thanks for the comment, we have been using several of their products for the last five years with this last shipment being like you said super glued tight
I can count myself as having been fortunate to not have had to endure this before
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I just realized they are no longer carrying their show shirts. Loved them for affordability.
I was shopping for a very specific type of spur the other day and decided to check SP. They no longer have ANY spurs, only 1 set of spur straps. I guess the downsizing has really begun.
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I admit that I am not happy about the downsizing thing.
It was so nice to just add something to my monthly shipment and get free shipping.
Now I am going to have to deal with someone else for these things.
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For sure. And its unfortunate that they can’t just come out and say it on their website.
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Random unscientific prediction.
Now: New management team has taken over, wants to increase cash flow, cut costs and simplify the operation. Downsizes to focus on supplements (traditionally a far more profitable item than all of the clothing & gear). Cash flow increases, as hoped. This is often the real purpose of adding a business like SP to the overall business scope.
In a few years: Another new management team will be brought in (maybe SP sells again or just is seen as a different opportunity). Makes an assessment for increasing market presence and so forth. Adds back some of the items that are being taken away now. This does increase SP’s visibility and popularity. Later the product scope is increased further. Volume and revenue go up, that side of the financials looks more impressive. Costs and complications also go up – hopefully those are managed well.
For a business like SmartPak, where (unlike most retailers) the supplements are the core business, it will be interesting to see if this adding-reducing other products turns into a cycle over the years.
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I do wonder what will happen to the 10 year guarantee on the Ultimate blankets if they stop selling them…at one point I thought people were saying they were being redesigned. It’s a shame they’re downsizing when it seems like some of their clothes have a pretty devoted following (Piper’s are always a popular “affordable” breech reco).
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This is why I didn’t buy a new one when they went on sale over the winter. My suspicion is they will no longer honor the guarantee.
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In the past the guarantee included having things fixed by someone local. I wonder if that is how they will continue until all the blankets age out.
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I paid a hefty premium for the blankets, because of how bulletproof the guarantee was. I will be quite pissed if it turns into “bring it to someone local”.
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Agreed. Otherwise I buy blankets on sale and just replace them when they become too damaged.
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They weren’t even honoring the fly sheets a few years ago. They were always out of stock. So frustrating!
I spoke with a Smartpak rep a few months ago about getting a replacement for my ultimate turnout sheet. They aren’t discontinuing the ultimate line—they sold off all the older stock and are revamping them for this coming fall/winter.
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There must be a decent profit on blankets/sheets.
actually they were bought out by Covectrus which is an animal health type of company. They wanted what the company y was founded on…supplements, that’s their business.
