What do you buy in a pet store

[btswass]

I own a tack store in a town with no pet store and have been slowly bringing in dog items. Next week we get in one brand of dog and cat food I’m really excited about. You have to drive 15 minutes to get to a store that sells food/toys/treats and 45 minutes to an actual pet store (petsmart).

Since most horse people also have dogs our small selection of treats and toys has done fairly well but I want to start marketing to non horse pet parents in the area.

I need to increase our selection of dog and cat products and am wondering what you generally buy when you go into a pet store. Food and litter is obviously a necessity. What about treats and toys? Dental chews? Impulse buys? Grooming supplies? Training collars and devises? Food and water bowls? Dog beds (not sure I’ll have the room for that)? Bones? I want to narrow down on the products most likely to sell without a complete stab in the dark

[AliCat518]

Pretty much every time we go to the pet store, we get raw hides/bully sticks. Training treats (the little tiny ones, we get them in bags of like 400), are NEVER allowed to run out in our home. I feel like Kong type toys are always good–the ones you shove peanut butter into!

[Amelia]

I no longer have horses, so when I go dog shopping, Every time I get food, treats (little milkbone types treats for training), larger biscuits when I have to leave them in the mornings and go to work; Bully sticks, pig ears or a knuckle type bone (we don’t do rawhide personally).

And then on special occasions I will buy collars, dog tags, toys, and maybe a bed. (But honestly, the price would have to be perfect on the bed as I found a great buy online and tend to go there first for them).

Good luck!

[findeight]

Impulse items, toys, I’d buy locally made scratching posts and such. Maybe locally made dog clothes and pet beds and throws are anjdea worth perusing.

Small single items I run out of that are add ons to ship trying to save a few bucks. Like a flea spray or calming spray.

Heavy items it’s a PITA to have shipped to save few bucks and wrestle with where the truck dropped them while you were out. A single big bag of food and cat litter for example and such.

You don’t need to turn yourself into a pet store with extensive inventory though.

[btswass]

All great suggestions thanks! I have found training treats have sold the best and treats in general more so than toys or bones. I’ll definitely have to bring in more treat type items like the bully sticks and pig ears. We do have cow hooves which also do well.

[Angela_Freda]

We only hit PetSmart when we’re near there [ie we shop there because we’re near there, not intentionally]
We get dog food, dog poo bags, cat food [Fancy Feast], catbox liners and cat litter

[rockonxox]

Food/Water bowls & dog bed? Not other than the first time I ever bought them – 15 years ago.
Dental chews? Never used these.

What about treats and toys? Bones?
Yes. I will pick up some chew bones/treats (due to an allergic to the world dog pretty much have to go with meat only products - so any grain, potato, etc is a no-go). The antlers are expensive, but SUCH a good purchase so if I have a bit of extra funds I will get those. Freeze dried stuff is fabulous. Get some catnip too. Takes up very little space and good impulse buy for cat owners by the register. My cat also enjoys getting new scratching posts and since they aren’t too expensive I will usually pick one up when I go to the pet store.

Other Impulse buys? Tennis balls and frisbees ALWAYS need replaced.

Grooming supplies? Yes! I like clean dogs and buy shampoo frequently and also need to have medicated (cortizone) spray for my allergy dog. Clippers were a one time purchase. Nail cutters and dremmels were one time purchases, but can be a good impulse buy. Shedding blades/brushes are also good impulse buys, especially in the summer time!

Training collars and devises? No.

Normal collars? Yes. I have had to replace leashes and collars a few times and one dog had surgery and needed a halter. Maybe carry some of the cones or an inflatable doughnut collar for pets who just had surgery.

I also have a hedgehog and get her bedding on a frequent basis. I’ve had to replace her water bottle a few times as well. Good smaller items to have around.

[D_BaldStockings]

poop bags
collapsible travel water dishes

leashes, harnesses - size matters
leather buckle collars are hard to find in quality

‘healthy’ training treats or those with ‘supplements’ for joints, calming, etc.
Oinkies pigskin rolls

no stuffing toys
You might have a picture by your cheap lunge whips of a dog chasing a bag on a string - quite popular
And by some of the small horse brushes/groom mitts of dogs being groomed

baby wipes type moist towelettes

freeze pack (hard, non-chew) for dogs in summer to cool down

[btswass]

I’ve got the antlers but haven’t sold any yet.

I’ve got quality horse shampoo that can be used for dogs but will get some cheaper shampoo in and maybe also some flea shampoo. I just found out about the moist towelettes for dogs and think thats brilliant for when they need more than a brush but less than a bath. Especially in the winter.

We’ve got a nice selection of high quality leather buckle collars and matching leashes but no nylon collars - not too worried about that tho

I was debating about bringing in some small animal pet supplies. Growing up with guinea pigs we definitely went through bedding and food quickly and was something that was handy being able to easily pick up so I think I’ll bring in some bedding and a couple different types of food (guinea pig, rabbit, and hamster probably)

Hadn’t thought of poop bags but do have some collapsible water dishes.
We have healthy training treats and joint supplement treats. No calming treats but have rescue remedy calming drops.

Never heard of oinkies pigskin rolls are those like the pig ears?

We have no stuffing toys and I like the lunge whip idea! Just saw a video of that the other day teaching pups how to point

I think I was already on the right track, just need a slightly bigger selection, a better way to display the products, and to start advertising to the general public in the area

[Ladylexie]

Well I have a little fashion diva dog so I like clothing. Necklaces fur coats et

[sisu27]

Not food as I buy bulk raw and it is delivered.

Treats yes. We train with boiled costco hot dogs but for all other treat occasions we use the small, soft, limited ingredient type. We also buy them in the biggest bags we can.

For bones we only buy smoked types and they are not as easy to find. Other then that its raw bones, chicken feet etc Antlers on occasion.

I am always on the lookout for new leashes and collars. I hate nylon but really like biothane products. The leashes that are like the very pliable rubber reins are awesome and hard to find. Nice leather leashes and collars are always of interest.

In the toy area Kongs are always good. I love Planet Dog and West Paw toys the most. Nearly indestructible. The Toughey (sp??) soft toys are good.

In the winter a line of good dog rugs would probably be a good idea. For those of us with thin, single coated types they have to wear rugs in the winter to be on the farm and it is hard to find more functional types as opposed to fashion types. Also hard to get in bigger sizes.

Good dog beds are hard to find. I buy Bowsers and think they are worth the money.

Sounds like you have a lot of good stuff already. I am not sure what the market is like in your area but I would seek out items that are unique and of a higher quality. If you think the next closest resource is far enough away to encourage shoppers to go to you instead then maybe some regular type stuff too (lower margin, higher volume).

I wish I had a tack store near me that also sold decent dog stuff. Usually it is a poor selection of overpriced things.

Pets are a booming industry!! Good luck!

[S1969]

@btswass

I need to increase our selection of dog and cat products and am wondering what you generally buy when you go into a pet store. Food and litter is obviously a necessity. What about treats and toys? Dental chews? Impulse buys? Grooming supplies? Training collars and devises? Food and water bowls? Dog beds (not sure I’ll have the room for that)? Bones? I want to narrow down on the products most likely to sell without a complete stab in the dark

Personally, I wouldn’t stock (or stock only limited) bowls or dog beds. They are not the sort of thing that people buy often, so you would be taking up space for items that don’t move quickly.

Grooming supplies - yes, some things, but again, I’d be limited. Specialty grooming supplies are easy to obtain online and there are so many things…but I would probably stock metal combs, a few different types of brushes and some things for shedding. Maybe some nail care items - like dremels and clippers.

Maybe worth having some stain removal products and/or skunk shampoo…?

Basic leads and collars, and maybe halters. I probably wouldn’t bother with training collars (like e-collars or bark collars) because again there are so many options and not really an “impulse buy” in my opinion.

I buy mainly small training treats, rawhides and dog food. Never use dental treats, never feed large dog biscuits because no dog needs a biscuit the size of my hand unless they aren’t getting fed dinner. Flea and tick control is a necessity for me (and I see you’re in downstate NY so you must have issues too)…might be worth seeing if you can move things like Seresto collars but not necessarily carrying a fully stocked supply of everything.

ETA: LOL laughing about my “downstate” comment. Obviously I live north of you. I just read a book where the author described the characters traveling to “upstate” NY and then going into Buffalo to buy something. Um…that’s waaaay upstate…and then a hard left and a long drive. We just call that “Western NY”.

[btswass]

@S1969

ETA: LOL laughing about my “downstate” comment. Obviously I live north of you. I just read a book where the author described the characters traveling to “upstate” NY and then going into Buffalo to buy something. Um…that’s waaaay upstate…and then a hard left and a long drive. We just call that “Western NY”.

For the city folk everything above NYC is “upstate” and as someone who grew up in buffalo I appreciate when people know its called western ny!

We have tick and flea tags (called spectrashield) that I’ve sold a ton of! Already had to restock. When I think training collars I think more limited slip or prong collars. But I haven’t had much interest in collars so won’t bother with those for the time being.

[Pep_n_Ann]

I 2nd the idea of some small animal supplies. Paper bedding, food, treats. If you have the space, some quality reptile food and some basic supplies might also be a good idea.

[cnigh]

I buy chews and training treats and food (Fromm). I look for bulk bags of large chews for my 85lbs dog. Once in a while I will buy toys on impulse.

I personally hate it when you can only find mini dog stuff at a store. Example - my local corner store has a pet section. I don’t shop there at all for anything, because the pet stuff is all small dog stuff that my girl could choke on.

I get cat food and litter at Walmart for the price. It’s always cheaper there. And the cat won’t eat anything except Fancy Feast anyway.

​​​​​​A sweet memory I have is of my dog Shade when she was 10 weeks old. I took her to my feed store and she picked up a bone bigger than herself to take home. She was so happy with it, lol.

[btswass]

@cnigh

I buy chews and training treats and food (Fromm). I look for bulk bags of large chews for my 85lbs dog. Once in a while I will buy toys on impulse.

I personally hate it when you can only find mini dog stuff at a store. Example - my local corner store has a pet section. I don’t shop there at all for anything, because the pet stuff is all small dog stuff that my girl could choke on.

I get cat food and litter at Walmart for the price. It’s always cheaper there. And the cat won’t eat anything except Fancy Feast anyway.

​​​​​​A sweet memory I have is of my dog Shade when she was 10 weeks old. I took her to my feed store and she picked up a bone bigger than herself to take home. She was so happy with it, lol.

I have two large dogs so I think I have more large dog things than small dog. I have to remind myself when shopping for inventory that not everyone has a big dog!

[RacetrackReject]

Our pet stores are 1 hour away, which means I only go every month or so. While I’m there, I stock up on high quality dog foods for my sensitive stomach JRT. I also tend to pick up any toys that are a good price and put them up to give out later or for Christmas. I will admit that I often get caught by t-shirts with cute sayings. My dog never wears them, except to take pictures, but he has a ton of them…lol.

We were just laughing because while cleaning out a closet, I found a bag of dog toys I had stashed away to give him later. There were about 6 toys in the bag and I have no idea how long they’ve been there, before last Christmas for sure.

[Foxtrot_s]

We have a second hand tack store that sells high quality items, clean and in good repair. She manages to get her hands on end-of-line quality products and her prices are really good - leashes, collars, jackets, etc. I actually don’t go to pert stores and like to support her if I can.

[Jhein12]

Grain free chew bones like himalayan dog chews, training treats, cute plush toys

[Peggy]

Have a cat, no dogs.

Cat treats, sometimes litter, birthday cards (pet store I go to has these cards with pet photos that are hysterical - Avanti http://clawsandpawscards.co.uk/product/cat-with-burning-birthday-cake/). Food and sometimes litter I get online.