Animals & Money: Big box discounters pushing into the pet business
Filed under: Bargains, Shopping
When I walk down the pet aisle in K-mart, I see lots of reasonably priced dog foods -- but none I would actually feed my dog. When I was younger and poorer and had never heard of melanine, K-mart seemed fine. But then I was terrified -- along with just about every other dog owner -- by the pet food recall. Now price isn't the most important factor; safety is. (Not that expensive brands weren't also sucked up in the recall.) So when will K-mart wise up and get some decent brands at decent prices, I always wonder.
Well, for K-mart it may never happen. But for most pet owners on a budget, it's good news that the big box retailers are finally paying attention to what the American Pet Product Association projected to be a $43 billion pet product business in 2008. You know that you've got a big business when the big box retailers crave a piece of it.
Wal-Mart made a big push into pet product last spring, betting that pets are recession-proof, while Target launched a pets department in 2005. Both have their own store brands that they call "premium."
The big box stores are trying to take a bigger part of what seems like a growing market, but since people turn to them because they are cheap, it stands to reason the $43 industry may now actually contract. Wal-Mart has a quarter of the market now -- and the top store brand pet food -- and it wants to control 30% by 2010. That's certainly bad news for tiny pet stores and a mixed bag for pet owners.
Wal-Mart seems to sell a lot of pet food brands you'd find in a supermarket. My gosh, did you know that they even still make Moist & Meaty or Gravy Train? But it does have a few kinds I might actually want to feed my dog. Looking at its site, I see it has Rachel Ray, Newman's Own and FreshPet (which I see on its website answering an FAQ about whether its ingredients are all made in the U.S.: "All our major ingredients come from the US or Canada." Hmmm, major ingredients? I'd say if the ingredients are so minor, they should spend the extra bucks and get them in the U.S. so they don't freak people out with that answer.)
Wal-Mart by far has the most comprehensive pet listings. For dogs it sells 281 food items and 84 collars and leashes. Walmart offers cat owners 310 food items and 16 leashes and accessories. Target is more into accessories than supplies. Target only has 21 dog food items. But it goes deeper into dog culture with impractical categories, like pet sleepwear and dog special occasion, to things we really need like a senior pets section with 44 items.
Wal-Mart is a big enough powerhouse that when it says it wants something done, its suppliers listen. So, if Wal-Mart leans on companies about ingredients from China, that will stop. The new presence of these big box stores in the pet industry means you may be able to get some good items If you can get food you feel good about feeding your dog cheaper, great. If Wal-Mart shuts down the stores that give you that choice, not so great.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
1-21-2009 @ 10:07PM
Liz Tufte said...
Hi Carol,
Thanks for your honest response to this latest recall. I agree -- the big boxes don't always do right by us. I'm afraid you're being too hopeful that they'll have any clout to stop this cycle of recurring recalls. The pet food industry is huge, and there is very little oversight by the FDA & USDA. Even the more respected, expensive brands aren't exempt from danger b/c they can't control where all their ingredients come from. Even if all ingredients were manufactured in the U.S., many items come from slaughterhouses & rendering plants. Sick & diseased animals, rancid restaurant grease, beaks & hooves -- no one keeps track well enough to know what ends up in commercial pet food. Even Solid Gold had a recall recently.
And even if the "food" isn't contaminated, it has virtually no nutritional value b/c it's cooked at extremely high temperatures, which destroys all vitamins that a dog's body needs. Dogs aren't meant to eat cooked cereal. Proof: Tom Lonsdale's & Dr. Pitcairn's books at Amazon.com, among many others. Thanks for letting me speak out on behalf of our dogs & cats. -Liz http://www.bestdogfooddiet.com
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1-22-2009 @ 7:16AM
Racheal said...
Liz,
Because your comment was quite nice, I clicked onto your link and read your entire webpage. However, I was disappointed that you want to sell your knowledge for $37 to each consumer. I do understand that one needs to earn a living, but I expect a true dog lover to spread the knowledge free, especially since you claim your dog diet is saving those who are suffering and sick.
Most dogs do eat "normal" dog food and are quite healthy, living long lives. Finally, in your webpage you pretty much disregard the knowledge and training of vets. For me, that was a major turnoff too, because the vets that I have dealt with have all had knowledge and training in a dog's diet, and more so, they cared about it too. If a vet does not have these qualities, then find a new one.
Racheal
1-22-2009 @ 12:31PM
Allison said...
People treat pets like humans these days...be careful though..
I found a list of 'People foods' that can kill your pet
http://www.curiousread.com/2008/05/people-foods-that-can-kill-your-pet.html
Be safe!
1-22-2009 @ 6:50AM
Diane said...
Pets are a big business, too big anymore. I've never been without a dog in 57 years but I won't get another dog when the two I have now are no longer with me because of what vets charge now. Soon only the rich will be able to afford a pet. I know several people already that don't take their pets to the vets at all anymore because they can't afford it. I still take mine but it's getting harder and harder to pay $300 to $450 just for their yearly visit. If one of them gets sick and needs anything besides the normal care they get I won't have any choice but to put them down.
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1-22-2009 @ 7:16AM
Racheal said...
Diane, I do agree that the cost of the yearly dog check-ups have gotten out of hand completely. And, when a dog does need even minor care, I have found it to be so expensive. And, of course, they always want you to come back for a follow-up, which has a charge too.
Racheal
1-22-2009 @ 7:06AM
upurs said...
send all of the cats and dogs over to asia for meals...all the dogs do here is bark all day and night
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1-22-2009 @ 7:09AM
rachealko said...
Liz,
Because your comment was quite nice, I clicked onto your link and read your entire webpage. However, I was disappointed that you want to sell your knowledge for $37 to each consumer. I do understand that one needs to earn a living, but I expect a true dog lover to spread the knowledge free, especially since you claim your dog diet is saving those who are suffering and sick.
Most dogs do eat "normal" dog food and are quite healthy, living long lives. Finally, in your webpage you pretty much disregard the knowledge and training of vets. For me, that was a major turnoff too, because the vets that I have dealt with have all had knowledge and training in a dog's diet, and more so, they cared about it too. If a vet does not have these qualities, then find a new one.
Racheal
Reply
1-22-2009 @ 7:14AM
J said...
I go to Petsmart. Walmart NEVER has everything I need. More often than not, they are out of the dog food and/or cat food I buy (Purina). I never know what brands of cat litter will be on the shelf, and they seldom have whatever size collar I am looking for.
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1-22-2009 @ 1:46PM
Kate said...
That's odd. Our Walmart stocks several varieties of Purina One cat-food and we live in a bit of a backwater...
1-22-2009 @ 7:37AM
LeeAnn said...
I too have had a dog since I was born (am now 58). However, for the first time in my life (last 3 years), I have not had one because of a NO DOG restriction where I live (Condo Commandos...LOL)
When it comes to Pet Food, I can say I have NEVER fed my dogs anything but the same food my family ate! I don't know what this is about giving them chocolate, but everyone of our dogs has eaten pieces of candy bars we gave them, chocloate ice cream, pizza, tuna fish, coffee etc.
Over the years we have had many dogs, but NONE of them died less than 16 years old. So that "nonsense" of doing them harm by feeding them "people food and chocolate" is not founded in our family.
Each morning both dogs got half a bagel with butter and a scrambled egg which kept their coats nice and shiny. If we had ice cream, they ate off the same ice cream cone or licked the same spoon we ate off of and none of us has ever been sick except for the common cold etc.
These dogs were taken annually to the Animal Medical Center in NYC and all received clear bills of health. So whoever said you must feed a dog Pet Food which can become quite pricey, I say "phooey" to that because our animals were all proof that what we ate, was just as good for them! When I was a child, only canned dog food was available and when my parents opened a can and that horrible stench emitted from it, they refused to feed it to the dogs wondering what made it smell so bad. That was the decision right then and there to feed them what we ate any given day.
The only slight problem we had, is one of them would not eat peas. He would spit them out on the side fo his bowl but would eat everything else.
So for those of you who firmly believe or fall for the crap that you have to feed them something expensive like Science Diet, Eukanuba, etc.....continue to do so, that is your choice. But don't use it as an excuse that you want your pet to live healthy and longer!! My dogs all lived to be 16 or more and that was eating whatever our family ate!
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1-22-2009 @ 8:54AM
Amy said...
Gag. Happy for you...but again...gag (as I cringe.)
1-22-2009 @ 10:04AM
P McBride said...
Although you apparently were very lucky, chocklate and tomatoes are both poisonous to many dogs (but not all dogs). We too feed our dogs things from the table when there is something left to give them, and they do have a couple of favorites, but we provide canned dog food (that actually smells very good) and keep a high quality brand of dry food available 24/7 as well as fresh drinking water. We have one (almost) 12 year old boxer and one (almost) 3 year old boxer. Neither one of them is skinny or malnurished and seems pretty happy about what we feed them.
Bottom line, I don't see anything wrong at all with the way you fed your dogs, but it would break my heart if I thought I had given one of my babies something that hurt them, and they got sick or died from it, so chocklate and tomatoes are off my list of goodies for both of my girls.
1-22-2009 @ 11:10AM
gigi said...
If I fed my dogs the same food that I've been eating over the last 48 years, they'd have died prematurely! I had no idea, until recently, that I've been killing myself and my family with all the processed foods, boxed meals, hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrups, food colorings and chemicals. The other 18 years that I lived with my parents, I ate fresh foods, farm raised produce and meats. I guess I matured during those transition years and I never paid attention. It's only by the grace of God that my children survived, with all those hot dogs, fish sticks and boxes of macaroni and cheese. Looking back on it, I guess my dog was smarter than I was, as he was offered that food, but he always refused to eat it (except for the Dairy Queen Hot Fudge Sundaes).
But, here's what I say .... instead of worrying about WalMart offering even more varieties of dog food, wouldn't it be simpler if they found the ONE company (in the USA) that produced and guaranteed the safety and the ingredients of their product? It would save us all a lot of time with the label reading, etc. And if WalMart really wants to appeal to the customers in 2009, then they should turn toward clothing the majority of America who now fall into that obese category! (I guess these are the people who lived on hot dogs, fish sticks, mac & cheese and fast foods). I've noticed when I'm shopping in the clothing aisles, there is no clothing to fit anyone in my family. I think they'd make more money from us fatties than from the puppies.
1-22-2009 @ 7:39AM
Kay said...
In my opinion the same food, or close to it, will be in the same bags at WalMart that's in the bags at KMart with just a different brand name on it to make it look like it is better. Go figure Wal Mart is at it again!!
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1-22-2009 @ 10:47AM
m said...
Pets are expensive! It pains me to go on Craigslist or petfinder and see all the animals just dumped due to "financial" reasons. If you don't have money to keep your dog/cat/whatever healthy, than don't get one. I feed my two dogs Nutro, which is pretty good food, but a little on the expensive side. They also get chicken, pork, and beef when we cook dinners at home. I would never feed them some of the junk products I see on the shelves. As for vet bills, everything costs money. Again, if you can't afford it, you shouldn't have taken on that responsibility. If your kids were sick, you wouldn't deny them medical care. Why would you do that to another member of your family?!?! People make me sick anymore. People, in general, have lost their values. :(
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1-22-2009 @ 7:58AM
Fred said...
If you like having a pet store in your town I suggest you shop there for everything you can. Otherwise it will go away. Living in a medium size town (60K) I have watched WalMart close 90% of the other chains in town and the vast majority of small businesses too. Yes, their stuff is cheap. And, yes, you get what you pay for.
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1-22-2009 @ 10:20AM
P McBride said...
Walmart has many name brands and they are exactly the same as they are anywhere else you buy them, but Walmart sells them for less. Although I certainly don't want to see other stores disappear, I guess you have to learn from those who succeed, and Walmart has a business philosophy which makes it successful. I have a real problem, in this day and age, finding fault with someone who can grow and be successful while offering high quality products for less than their competitors. That is what the deomcratic system is all about (even though many folks appear to have forgotten that). I am not about paying someone a higher price and allowing them to forget about competing with other stores who sell the same products just so the higher priced stores can remain viable. That is like saying I should go buy an overpriced GM product instead of a better quality, more reliable, less expensive US made import, so GM can continue to run their business without regard to quality, competitive pricing or using a cutting edge business plan that makes them competitive with other auto manufactures.
1-22-2009 @ 8:33AM
Mom said...
I rarely shop at Wally World anymore because of the recalls, dog products made in China, and they are not the cheapest price in town. I can go to other stores that offer double coupons and if the item that I want to buy is on sale, use a coupon that is doubled and save more! I really am upset that Wal-Mart is discontinuing the material in the craft department so I shop at the well name places. The customer service at our Wal-Mart is terrible. The employees don't like working there, you can go in there at any time of the day see long lines and are at the check out for 20 minutes or so. So why shop there??? My $ is spent wisely now, not at Wal-Mart, but at places that treat customers nice, get products less and better quality, and of course quick courteous service!
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1-22-2009 @ 8:37AM
Dave said...
So many experts out there. You don't like vet. bills, get a mutt. I have had both purebreds and mutts. Plain and simple, mutts don't get sick and have the problems the purebreds do. Why a purebred ? They get itchy skin, runny eyes, yeast infections in their ears, hip problems, prone to cancer, etc. Mix breeds are like super dogs. As far as food goes, keep it natural as possible. I DON'T feed my dogs the same thing all the time. One bag of lamb and rice, than a fish blend, than a chicken. Stay away from the foods that the main ingredient has the word byproducts after it. Dogs didn't eat the same thing all the time in the wild, they shouldn't now. If you have the time make your own dog food with cheaper cuts of meat, rice, and some vegetables.
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1-22-2009 @ 8:59AM
janet said...
I can't see paying 2-5 dollars more at a pet store for the same brand name dog food I get at walmart. People who do are just stupid, or just have money to throw away. Why are people stuck on "name" stores. For Christmas I recieved 2 of the same "brand" name jeans, one from walmart the other from jc penney's, the penney's jeans cost 10.00 more, took them back, went to walmart added 6.00 and ended up with 3 name "brand" jeans. these jeans even had the same lot numbers, so don't say they were not the same. If the mom & pop stores and Name stores want to stay in buisness they need to quit raising prices to make 300-400 profit. Most people do not make that kind of money, and the upper middle class are also beginning to get into financial difficulties.
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