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5.4

Overall Score

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: March 25th, 2022

PetSmart boasts being the largest specialty pet retailer for all pet services and solutions. The company employs about 55,000 associates and operates in more than 1,600 pet stores in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. PetSmart offers competitively priced pet food and products in-store and online. 

PetSmart also provides pet services such as the PetsHotel and Doggie Day Camp. The company actively supports pet adoption through its partnership with the non-profit organization, PetSmart Charities. PetSmart invites more than 3,700 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into its stores to increase their chance of finding a forever home. Through its in-store adoption program and other events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 8 million adoptions. 

In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an independent subsidiary.

Top Ranked Companies

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The Good

  • Pet Products
  • Pet Services
  • Learning Center

Pet Products

PetSmart’s website offers a wide variety of pet products for all types of pets. Pet owners can shop for dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and other small pets and find just about everything their pet could need. Customers can find:

Dog Supplies

  • Food and Treats
  • Toys and Apparel
  • Dental Care and Wellness Products
  • Flea and Tick Medication
  • Beds and Furniture
  • Bowls and Feeders
  • Collars, Harnesses and Leashes

Cat Products

  • Cat Food and Treats
  • Toys
  • Litter and Waste Disposal
  • Crates
  • Beds and Furniture
  • Bowls and Feeders
  • Collars, Harnesses and Leashes

Reptile Merchandise

  • Habitat Accessories
  • Habitat Decor
  • Starter Kits
  • Food
  • Light Fixtures and Heating Lamps
  • Bedding 

Bird Products

  • Food and Treats
  • Cages and Stands
  • Litter and Nesting
  • Toys, Perches, and Decor
  • Grooming
  • Health Care
  • Cleaning and Odor Control
  • Wild Bird Food and Supplies

Small Pet Supplies (hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, mice, etc.)

  • Food, Treats, and Hay
  • Cages, Habitats, and Hutches
  • Litter and Bedding
  • Cleaning and Odor Removers
  • Toys and Habitat Accessories

PetSmart also offers numerous books and DVDs on various topics. These information books offered are a unique positive for PetSmart. They provide helpful information for pet parents looking to train or how best to take care of their furry friend. 

Pet Services

PetSmart locations offer a variety of services:

Grooming

PetSmart claims that their academy-trained Pet Stylists have over 800 hours of hands-on grooming experience. PetSmart offers complete bath, haircut, and walk-in grooming services. Dog owners can sign their pup up for a groom or a bath depending on their needs. Pet owners can schedule an appointment online.

PetsHotel

PetSmart’s PetsHotel is available for cats and dogs whose owners are going out of town. Dogs can stay in either a standard guest room, an open-air atrium that is cleaned and sanitized daily, with hypoallergenic bedding. Or there is a private suite room, for a more private environment, the rooms are each cleaned and sanitized, have a raised cot and have a TV tuned to pet-themed shows. Cats can stay in the Kitty Cottage, and if two cats are brought in, cottages with connecting doors are available.

Doggie Day Camp

Sometimes pet owners can’t spend all day at home with their pets, even though that’s probably what they’d rather be doing. The PetSmart Doggie Day Camp is a fun and safe environment where pets can play. The camp is open 7 days a week, a Full-day includes up to 8 hours of indoor play, while the Half-day consists of up to 4 hours of indoor play. 

Dog Training

PetSmart dog trainers use positive reinforcement techniques for training. However, pet owners should be aware that there are some requirements for attending a class:

  • Age Requirement - Puppy classes are for dogs ages 10 weeks to 5 months old. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced courses for dogs 5 months and older. 
  • Vaccinations - DPP (Distemper, Parvo, and Parainfluenza) and Rabies vaccinations are required for any dog over 4 months old. Owners must have proof and provide it during the first class.
  • Behavior - Aggressive dogs are not permitted to classes. If owners are unsure about their dog's behavior around other dogs or people, they can schedule a free 15-minute evaluation with a trainer to determine if a PetSmart training class is the right fit. 
  • Class Time - In each group, there are about 4-10 dogs, and each class is 1 hour for 6 weeks. 
  • Missed Classes - Pet owners can contact their trainer to schedule a make-up class. PetSmart can also put a class on hold—for up to a year (if a break from training is needed). 
  • Gear - PetSmart recommends that pet owners bring small treats to class every week, as well as a chew toy or blanket. Any flat, rolled, or no-slip collar, face collar, body harness or no-pull harness works great for the class. Also, a 4-foot to the 6-foot non-retractable leash is approved. There are no choke chains, prong or pinch collars or electric collars.
  • Human Dress Code - Pet parents should wear comfortable, non-slip shoes. 

Veterinary Care 

PetSmart and Banfield Pet Hospital are offering new clients a free office visit and veterinary consultation. Customers can fill out a short form, print off the coupon*, and bring it to their appointment. 

Adoption

PetSmart strives to find animals their forever home, and they believe in the power of adoption. Because of this, PetSmart never sells cats or dogs. Combining its efforts with PetSmart Charities, the company helps save over 1,300 pets a day through adoption. 

Learning Center

PetSmart’s Learning Center provides new pet owners and experienced pet parents with hundreds of articles about their pets health, happiness, and safety. For customers looking for specific information, there is a learn by pet option. 

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The Bad

  • Varied Availability and Pricing
  • Shipping Costs

Varied Availability and Pricing

Customers may notice that pricing and product availability in PetSmart retail stores may be different the online site. PetSmart terms and conditions state, “Online prices, offers, and selection may vary between our retail stores and Sites and are subject to change. We reserve the right to limit sales, including the right to refuse sales, to resellers.”

Shipping Costs

At checkout, customers will be able to select a shipping method, and the shipping costs are based on the product ordered, and the chosen method.

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The Bottom Line

PetSmart presents a wide variety of pet products and services. PetSmart also offers, in-store pickup for online orders and the option to return items directly to a retail store. Although, customers may be frustrated by the varied pricing and availability and shipping costs PetSmart offers other appealing aspects.   

The Doggie Day Care, Kitty Cottage, PetsHotel, and the Dog Traning Classes are helpful features for busy pet owners. Another great aspect of PetSmart is its dedication to pet adoption. The company has partnered with more than 3,700 animal welfare groups across North America, and 1 out of every 10 adoptions in North America happen at a PetSmart Charity Center. Recently, PetSmart Charities donated $1 million to support and help pets in need due to Hurricane Michael.

*Valid for new pets. Cat or Dog only, other restrictions apply.

Check out our top-rated Online Pet Stores and compare prices, shipping fees and products.

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Star Rating

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4.2

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199 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

50%

4 grade

32%

3 grade

9%

2 grade

2%

1 grade

8%

Sentiment Criteria

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Rho Gentry Lexington, KY

This past weekend I bought my usual cup of large mealworms as well as a cup of wax worms. This has happened every time I visit petsmart but this was the first time this degree. I only had 20/35 mealworms, the rest were dead. And I only had 25/35 wax worms, the rest were dead and the others looked dark, squishy and close to death. I will NEVER visit petsmart again. They are HIGHLY incompatible when it comes to reptiles. No one had any info about my animals, had no clue about their husbandry. I called to see if I could get a refund on the worms and the lady who answered (who claimed to be the manager) couldn't have cared less that most were dead and wanted me to drive another 30 minutes to get a refund or replace them and I only had that day to do it cause then they would think I fed my animal and tried to bring them back. My leopard gecko actually refuses to eat anything dead so I gaurentee he wants nothing to do with what you all sold to me. This is not the first time. I've actually never purchased a full order with all live worms. I'd much rather find an online vendor with insurance of live feed arriving ALIVE.

5 years ago

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Natalie Chantilly, VA

The management of supplies is weird and very unsatisfactory. Petsmart used to be #1 store I went to for my cat's supply for many years. I finally stopped using it few months ago due to inconsistency of supplies. For past several years, cats food and litter supplies are not stable. I brought to stores managements' attention these issues, but always was given the same response at different stores location - I was told that Petsmart corporate office decides how much and which supplies to route to a store based on popularity of products. Thus, it led to elimination of POPULAR products TOTALLY!!! I asked store managers to bring to corporate's attention that even if it is thought (for some strange reasons) items stopped being so popular, they still should be supplied to stores with the lower quantity, the least. However, nothing has changed. For example, I used to buy Dr Elsey's Senior Cat Litter and Dr Elsey's Long Haired Cat Litter for 11 years, at the same store. It always was supplied before in good quantities and always was sold very fast, which means these products are popular. The same was with different kinds of cat's food, for example Royal Canin Persian Food and Royal Canin Hair & Skin 33 Adult Cat Dry Food. Lately, I feel that long hair cats are discriminated by Petsmart company. I am now using their competitor, Petco and other online sources to buy these products. Such attitude in business leads to store closings and I am sure this would be this company's near future.

7 years ago

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Beverly J. Myers Mount Pleasant, PA

I like shopping at PetSmart so I decided to order Tidy Cat early online from the 2017 Black Friday ad to save time looking for a cart and/or waiting in very long lines dragging buckets of to & from the register. BIG MISTAKE!! I received a confirmation for my order that said I would receive another email when the order was ready. When I didn't receive the second email, I contacted the store and emailed customer care and I was told that the online ordering system was down nationwide. But I was assured that "you will still receive the Black Friday deal and once it was processed in the next 7 days it will be available for pick-up within a hour. You will receive an email telling you when it's ready for pick-up." Today I received an email cancelling the order "due to availability". This is extremely poor customer service. Had I known that PetSmart was going to do this, I would have been there when they opened at 7 AM and made my purchase at that time. It's not like there is a shortage of Tidy Cat! In my opinion, they should have notified me that they had run out, but would fulfill my order when they received their next shipment, or asked me what I had ordered, put the items aside for me and told me that I needed to pick up the order within a certain time period. Wish there was an option to give them "no stars"!!

8 years ago

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Pam Cohen Kennesaw, GA

Since writing the below letter to Petsmart, No one from the company thinks my complaint is important enough to respond. My name is Pam Cohen. I took my dog, Ruger, in for a bath at 11am this morning (6/13/17) at the Hiram, Ga location. I left him in the care of your employee Jadan. At 5:00pm, I called your store and was put on hold for a while so I hung up. I called back 5 minutes later and inquired about Ruger. The young lady answering the phone said "Oh, he's been ready." I told her no one called me and her response was "Oh, I'm sorry." I arrived at the store to pick him up around 5:30pm. I was informed that Jadan went home at 3pm. I inquired why no one called me when he was ready and why Jadan left the store without completing her care of my dog. Again, the response was 'Oh, I'm sorry." At this time, I stated that she should not be allowed any responsibilities with animals as it is apparent that she is completely irresponsible. The young man working stated that she has only been working there for 3 weeks, as if new employees of Petsmart are allowed to be negligent because they are newly hired. After my experience today, it is apparent that your employees are trained to respond to customer dissatisfaction by simply saying "Oh, I'm sorry." Well, I'm sorry because this response is completely unacceptable. The employee responsible for my dog went home without calling me and letting me know that he was ready for pick up, which resulted in him being there for 6 1/2 hours for a bath. In addition, at least 2 1/2 of those hours, he was left in a cage while the employees there assumed that Jadan had called me because it was her job and her responsibility. I've been a customer of that store for I know a good year or more. I buy my dog food there and I have my dog groomed there. I can have the dog food delivered to my door from your competitor, but I chose to shop at Petsmart. I can have Ruger groomed at a half of dozen other groomers in the vicinity , but I chose Petsmart. I chose Petsmart because I assume, due to your success, you have professional responsible individuals as employees. After my experience today, I feel that many employees there have little or no training and are clearly given responsibilities above their capabilities. Employees who handle live animals should know better than to abandoned a little dog in their care in a cage and assume someone else is going to care for it. Jadan's actions today were irresponsible and negligent. I am very disappointed with the grooming service Ruger received today and the apathetic response I received from Petsmart employees. I am questioning my decision to support your store.

9 years ago

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Joice Vidal Bellevue, WA

I just went to a Pet Smart for the first time today. I went to a store in Bellevue, WA because it is closer to where I am staying. Workers in there were not friendly. the cashier was attentive though. I didn't find what I was looking for, so I asked for help, and this person just said "I don't know. You can just go to and see." Later, I learned that this person was the manager!! I honestly don't intend to go there again. The prices are similar to Amazon, and I don't need to deal with grumpiness.

4 years ago

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Millie Fort Worth, TX

We adopted a cat from their store and we’re not given ANY health history- it was emailed later however, it failed to tell us she was sick. She had a virus; 3 days later she became really ill. $600..00 later she is still not well and will most likely will be hospitalized adding $800.00 to our bill. The ER tech told us this is how PetSmart on Hulen treats their pets- she has first hand experience with them.

5 years ago

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Marie Gold Hill, NC

The fish. I bought 1 Albino pleco for alage. My tank had been thriving healthy for years without any purchases of new fish, I personally breed and raised all I had from 1 day old fry. This 1 PetSmart fish killed my entire population with ick white spots, the ick medication didn't even have a chance to work before they were all dead. I will NEVER EVER suggest PetSmart store seeing on how they clearly will never offer healthy fish. Goodbye to my years of fish breeding dedication, f'you you petsmart!

7 years ago

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Gail Smith Jonesboro, GA

This has been the worst experience with a store of this size ever. Dont buy on line from them. When i returned purchase to the store as instructed i was not given anything to confirm my return although i asked repeatedly. I still have not gotten a refund even after calling customer service 3 times. Called today and learned it had not even been processed. I will never do business with them again. Poor service. The worst!

7 years ago

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Jonny Hancock Draper, UT

Took my adorable little 5 pound shihtzu/yorkie mix to Petsmart for a haircut last year, and came home with what looked like a bald rat. I specifically told them to just give him a trim, but for some reason they to do the exact opposite and completely shave him. I now cut my dog's hair myself, rather than paying $60 bucks to have Petsmart ruin his flow.

9 years ago

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ryan whitenett Boise, ID

I saw a couple cheap things i wanted so i put them in my basket and continued shopping. I place my order for 9 things totaling $30. I then get an email saying that the items i purchased is no longer available. I then ask to cancel my order and was told that i could. They even sent me an email saying my order was cancelled. Now i receive an email stating that my "partial order" is on its way. So these guys enticed me with cheap dog toys and only send the expensive ones. This is/or should be illegal.

9 years ago

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Unknown5 Youngstown, OH

Horrible customer service. Also they cut my dog in 2 places while they groomed him and didn’t tell me about it. I got a discount off my bill and got refunded the rest but I would not recommend anyone to take their dog there to get groomed.

7 years ago

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Sydney Phoenix, AZ

PetSmart sells dog food that was recalled! I just discovered that the dog food (Hill's) that I bought had been recalled months prior to my purchase! Pay attention to the recalls and do NOT trust PetSmart to sell you safe products! Very distressing!

7 years ago

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Toni Indianapolis, IN

I spend alot of money in there and was told today by the gm that I need to purchase my stuff and get out. I wasnt even in there 15mins. Such rude people never going back and the things I have heard about their grooming salon😡

8 years ago

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Dawn

I frequently go into Petsmart on 24th Oregon the boy that waited on me.... let me tell you how rude ignorant he was. I spoke he didn’t. Today is 9/16/19. Someone needs to school him on etiquette behavior in work place.

7 years ago

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Lesa Burgess Pleasant Grove, UT

Took my pet to get groomed here and didn't have a great experience with this. Gave them specific directions of how I wanted the dog cut and they completely ignored it and did what they wanted. Have never been back.

8 years ago

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Lane Bradshaw Norcross, GA

They don’t take care of animals well at all. Very sad. They let them die and don’t care. It is inhumane.

6 years ago