Over the years, I have always bought food and supplies for my pets either at the grocery store, the farm supply store, or just a large store like Walmart.
While I have tried shopping in the specialty pet stores, such as Petsmart, most of the time I have found that their products are a lot more expensive than shopping elsewhere.
However, they do usually have an excellent selection; so when you are looking for something very specific, then going to a specialized pet store is often the best place to find it.
One of my latest discoveries is buying pet products on Amazon. Since I have Amazon Prime, we get free two-day shipping on most products, plus there is no sales tax on what you buy.
I have found that I can order my dog food from Amazon and get it as cheaply as I can from the store, plus it is delivered right to my door, so I don't even have to pack it home from the store.
Another wonderful shopping point is the great sales that Amazon has on some products.
They had a special on a self-warming dog bed that normally sells for $71, and it was on sale at Amazon for only $12 on one of their daily Lightning Deals.
You know that I snatched that up, and Chipper now has the most comfy bed ever, and it helps to keep his elderly body warmer during the chilly winter weather. He LOVES his new bed ! !
I definitely recommend checking out Amazon for pet supplies. You may not save money on everything from there; but if you find the right sales, you can sure save a whole lot .
I personally have seldom shopped for pets. Most people from my region use informal networks to acquire pets. I can obtain pets from acquaintances, friends, relatives and neighbours who dispose them for a modest sum. Some individuals also gift their pets when they have extra progeny to responsible caregivers.
It depends what I'm looking for - if I'm buying stuff like collars and pieces of wearable things, I'm rooting for eBay. Everything is so cheap, even thought it takes a long time to get where I live. Amazon is a good place to shop for those products too, also internet thrift stores. You can find some good things for a low price if you just keep looking!
What it comes to food and all, I'm rooting for the things you get from the pet store. I've tried getting some food for my dog from the convenience store but my little lady doesn't approve that much what it comes to the brands that are sold in normal stores, haha! Well, what ever for my spoiled baby!
When it comes to shipping for pets, for many years I always used the smaller independent stores that we had in the city near me, as I think the quality is a lot better then what you'd find in the big supermarkets, depending on what your buying that is.
These day though a lot have closed down so I've started to by from Pets At Home, and while they are quite expensive, I do think they offer the best you can buy for your pets, and are well worth a look if you haven't already.
Since we don't have independent pet supplies stores nearby, the local pet clinic where I bring our dogs to also doubles as a grooming shop and a supplies store. They have pet food for cats and dogs, collars and leashes of different sizes, pet bowls and water containers, even chew toys and pet shirts. I live in the province and the big stores are all in the capital, Manila. This saves me the trip of traveling two hours and paying for expensive bus fare. It's also convenient that I can bring my pets for a simple shirt fitting because buses to the capital doesn't allow dog passengers.
I personally use the local pet stores that sell various type of things, such as food and toys. They're really good and the salesmen know a lot about pets and are really helpful. The only thing that bugs me about those kind of stores is that they're usually really expensive and can make your wallet appear pretty empty in a short period of time.
However, if I don't feel like dragging myself into those pet stores I just walk to the nearest supermarket and go to the pet-side. They usually just don't have the brands that I buy for my dog but I've remembered all the places that do. Usually supermarkets are noticeably cheaper, but you don't get any service so you need to know exactly what you're doing. I also do some internet shopping, but there's the same problem with that and the supermarket: you need to know everything by yourself.
I used to shop around a lot. So I was buying from both local stores and various online vendors. Since I live in a small town, the only local stores I use for supplies are Walmart and Pet Supplies Plus. A lot of the stuff are unavailable locally. When I shopped online, I have used PetSmart.com, peco.com, thatpetplace.com, thatfishplace.com, as well as Amazon.
Nowadays I mostly buy from Amazon since I have Amazon Prime as well. The shipping is quick. Shop around takes too much time.
