Is Chewy a Chinese company
Chewy vs Petco: Which One to Choose? Our 2024 Comparison
Thanks to the rise in online shopping, Chewy and Petco are two of the biggest, most popular go-to pet supply companies. When faced with a choice between two huge suppliers, it can be tricky to determine which one youd rather give your hard-earned money to. Chewy and Petco both have their strengths and weaknesses, but is one better than the other?
In this comparison, were going to look at Chewy and Petco side by side and evaluate what each supplier has to offer in terms of product selection, pricing, shipping, and customer service. Finally, well take a look at each suppliers reputation in different areas. We hope this will help you make a decision as to whether Chewy or Petco is the supplier you want to buy from.
Chewy
- Established:2011
- Headquarters:Boston & Florida
- Product lines: Pet food, treats, pet care supplies, toys, accessories, prescription items, and more
- Owned by: PetSmart (formerly), BC Partners
Petco
- Established:1965
- Headquarters:San Diego
- Product lines:Pet food, treats, pet care supplies, toys, accessories, prescription items, and more
- Owned by:Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, CVC Capital Partners
Brief History of Chewy
Chewy was founded in 2011 by Ryan Cohen, who was 25 years old at the time, and Michael Day. Cohens original plan was to create a jewelry company, but a trip to his local pet store convinced him to change his mind and go into business in a field that interested and mattered to himpet care. Chewy was originally called Mr. Chewy.
From 2012, sales started to grow and by 2015, Chewy had hit $423 million in sales. Chewy became famous for its outstanding customer service, which extended to sending oil paintings of pets and handwritten notes. BC Partners acquired Chewy in 2015, and PetSmart in 2017. PetSmart later split from Chewy, and now the two operate independently of each other.
Brief History of PetCo
Petco had its beginnings in 1965 as a mail-order company dealing in vet supplies. It was originally named UCPO, but the name changed to Petco in 1979. The first Petco store was opened in 1980, and, by the late 1980s, Petco was growing rapidly. It started out selling live fish in a California store and later began to accommodate other types of pets.
By 1994, Petco was booming as the largest pet supply chain. By this point, there were 218 stores open across the U.S., and by 2008, there were stores open in every U.S. state. The company later expanded to Puerto Rico, Mexico. In 2019, Petco stopped selling dog and cat food products containing artificial ingredientsa move that solidified the chains move into marketing itself as a health and wellness company.
Chewy Manufacturing
Chewy sells products from a wide selection of brands, including Blue Buffalo, Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet, and American Journey, so the products are manufactured in various locations with ingredients sourced from several different locations worldwide.
According to Chewys website, it works closely with thousands of reputable brands to ensure quality and sources its prescription items from FDA-approved manufacturers.
Petco Manufacturing
Like Chewy, Petco supplies products from various brands, including Royal Canin, Hills Science, Blue Buffalo, and Wellness. This means that the products are manufactured in several different locations with ingredients sourced from various locations worldwide.
That said, we know that Petco does not source cat and dog treats made in China due to safety concerns, and, according to John Sturm (vice president at the time this change was announced), the treats sold by Petco are manufactured in the U.S. and other locations, including New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands.
Chewy Product Line
Chewy sells pet supplies in a range of categories, including the following:
Pet Food
Chewy supplies food, prescription diets, treats, and supplements for several kinds of pets, including cats, dogs, birds, small animals, reptiles, farm animals, fish, and horses.
Pet Care Products
This includes items like litter, litter boxes, cages for small pets, aquariums, fish tanks, bedding, substrate, cleaning products, flea and tick treatments, and so on.
Toys and Accessories
Chewy supplies pet toys and accessories like chew toys, collars, training tools, leashes, climbing apparatus, beds, etc. It also caters to pet parents looking for items like memorials, blankets, picture frames, and kitchenware.
Medicines
The Chewy pharmacy caters to those in need of dog, cat, or horse medications. Examples include flea and tick treatments, antibiotics, and pain relief medications. Youll need a veterinary prescription to purchase certain medications from the Chewy pharmacy.
One thing that stands out to us is that Chewys pharmacy menu offers you the opportunity to connect with a vet. This feature is free for auto-ship customers, but non-auto-ship customers need to pay a fee to chat. Pet insurance is also an option with Chewy.
Petco Product Line
Like Chewy, Petco specializes in pet care supplies, also selling products from some of the same brands as Chewy does. The product selections differ somewhat, however. More on this later.
Pet Food
Petcos range of pet foods is vast and caters to the same kinds of pets as Chewy does. However, Petco does not sell foods containing artificial ingredients, so it places special emphasis on only supplying the highest-quality foods.
Pet Care Products
Like Chewy, Petco supplies general pet care products like litter, litter boxes, crates, kennels, bedding, etc. The list is endless!
Toys and Accessories
Some of the toys and accessories we found in Petcos selection include chew toys, training toys and equipment, plush toys, and small animal and reptile hideouts.
Medicines
Petcos online pharmacy, like Chewy, gives you access to a variety of medications, both prescription and non-prescription. Petco also offers insurance and veterinary services, which take place in in-store vet clinics.
Chewy vs Petco: Price
We checked out some popular pet care foods and items on Chewy and Petco to get a general idea of pricing. If youre looking for the short answer, Chewy has got a slight edge over Petco pricing-wise.
Chewy
We found that, in terms of cat and dog food, pricing for several big brands like Hills Science and Royal Canin appears to be the same. However, certain products, including pet foods and pet care products like cat litter deodorizers, were cheaper on Chewy. Chewy is famous for its deals, with its Todays Deals page filled with products at half price, a discounted price, and two-for-one offers.
Petco
As Petco is known for its emphasis on quality and not selling products with artificial ingredients, the pet foods it sells are simply not going to come cheap. However, as mentioned above, many of the pet foods we checked out that are for sale on both Chewy and Petco were the same price, with some exceptions.
Both Chewy and Petco sell high-quality products, but Chewy has more inexpensive options. Like Chewy, Petco offers some products at a discounted price. You can check these out on its top deals page.
Chewy vs Petco: Shipping
Here, well take a look at Chewy and Petcos shipping options to find out if one has an edge over the other. Short answerPetco has an edge in this department.
Chewy
Chewy sells its products online only as the company doesnt have its own stores. If you spend more than $49, you can have your items shipped for free within 13 days. If your order is under $49, the shipping fee is a flat rate of $4.95. Chewy doesnt offer same-day delivery.
Autoship sets you up for repeat deliveries. The first time you set it up, you get 35% off your first order and, afterward, youll get 5% knocked off future orders. Autoship customers can also benefit from Chewys connect with a vet feature for free.
Petco
Unlike Chewy, Petco has its own stores, so you can either buy in-store or online. If you choose to buy online, a $35 or more purchase of certain products means you can benefit from free same-day delivery, though exclusions do apply. Otherwise, the shipping fee is $5.99. In addition to same-day delivery, Petco offers standard delivery (25 days), 2-day delivery, and next-day delivery.
Customers in Alaska and Hawaii can expect their orders in 36 business days, and customers in U.S. territories can expect their orders in 713 days. You can also pick up your order in-store if you live near to one. Like Chewy, Petco has a repeat delivery service. Petcos repeat delivery service entitles you to free delivery on all of your orders over $35 and adds points to your Pals Rewards membership if you have one.
To sum up, Petco offers more shipping/pickup options and a lower minimum order fee to qualify you for free, fast delivery. Chewys standard shipping rate is cheaper, but its minimum order fee for free delivery is higher than Petcos. Petco wins the shipping round.
Chewy vs Petco: Customer Service
If youre purchasing online frequently, knowing your customer service options for when you have questions, concerns, or issues with your orders is crucial. Lets take a look at how Chewy and Petco compare in this department.
Chewy
When we checked out Chewys customer service options, we were immediately impressed by the number of possible ways to get in touch. You have three optionssend them a message, give them a call, or chat live with a representative.
We always appreciate live chat options, as this tends to get your problems solved and questions addressed much quicker. We also love the fact that you can chat with a vet via Chewyfor free if youre an auto-ship member and for a fee if youre not.
User reviews point to an overwhelmingly positive customer service experience with Chewy, with a large percentage considering their experience excellent. Some users noted that they greatly appreciate how personalized and genuine Chewys customer service feels.
Petco
Petcos contact page is what wed call sparse. We found one option for getting in touchby phone. We did a little more digging and were able to find a customer service email address on another page and a chat with an expert option on Petcos home page.
So, there are a fair few options for getting in touch, but we just feel that it might be better if the contact page displayed all of the methods in one place instead of spreading the information across different pages.
Unfortunately, there were an overwhelming number of negative customer service reviews for Petco. Several users expressed frustration about the difficulties they faced when trying to get information on refunds, exchanges, or shipping and found the representatives they chatted with to be unhelpful. On this basis, Chewy wins this round hands down.
Head-to-Head: Chewy vs Petco Pet Food Product Selection
Both Chewy and Petco stock products from well-known brands, but Chewy has a better product selection in all areas we checked out, including dry dog and cat food and wet dog and cat food. Chewy also has more reptile food and small animal food options.
As mentioned previously, one of Petcos biggest pros is that it doesnt sell products made with artificial ingredients, but, on the other hand, this can be rather limiting, especially if youre on a budget. To conclude, we consider Chewy the better option in terms of product selection.
Our Verdict: Chewy has more pet food options and is more budget-friendly.
Head-to-Head: Chewy vs Petco Pet Toys & Accessories Product Selection
Both Chewy and Petco have a wide selection of pet toys ranging from as cheap as a dollar or two to super fancy, high-tech toys costing hundreds of dollars. Chewy appears to have more pet toys on offer in general, but one thing we noticed is that its cat toy selection in particular is far broader than Petcos.
In terms of accessories like harnesses and leashes, Chewy beats out Petco once again, but by a slimmer margin. Kudos to Petco for their cat trees and scratchers selectionwe found a wider range of these products than Chewy offers.
Our Verdict: We checked out toys and accessories in different categories and found that Chewy, on average, has more products in these categories. However, Petcos cat tree and scratcher selection is better.
Sum Up: Company Reputation
Finally, lets bring it all in with an overall recap of how Chewy and Petco measure up in terms of how theyre viewed by the people who buy from them.
Customer Care
Edge: Chewy
Chewy has a near flawless reputation when it comes to caring for customers and handling issues. Theyve even been known to send out flowers to bereaved pet parents and ask customers to donate refunded products to animal shelters instead of returning them.
On the other hand, Petcos reputation in this department is less than savory. In short, Chewys kind, personal touches and attention to detail have contributed to its reputation as a caring company.
Website User-Friendliness
Edge: Chewy
Both Chewy and Petcos product menus are similarly laid out and named, but Chewy has an edge because its contact page is more straightforward and gives you all the information you need in one place.
Chewys main menus (shop, pharmacy, etc.) appear in writing at the top of the home page, which we find helpful. Petcos main menu is accessed by a tab in the top left-hand corner, which opens up into individual categories.
Chewys product subcategories appear immediately when you click on one of the menu tabsnice and simple to navigate. This is similar to Petcos site, but the subcategories have less of an organized feel.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a minor gripe, and by no means is Petcos website difficult to navigate. However, overall, we find Chewys site slightly easier to find our way around.
History/Controversies
Edge: None
Petco is a company that has had its fair share of controversy. It appears that Petco has been subject to lawsuits in the past over allegations that animals in its care were not properly cared for. Other allegations against Petco include failure to properly compensate employees. Chewy, too, has been subject to lawsuitsin particular, allegations of false advertising of dog food products.
Conclusion
The verdicts infrom our research and reviews left by those who have bought from Petco and Chewy, we consider Chewy to have an edge over Petco in the following areas: customer service and care, product selection, website navigation, and pricing. Petco has an edge in the choices it makes regarding quality and its shipping and delivery options.
Taking all of this into account, we consider Chewy to be the overall winner on this occasion. We hope youve found this review helpful and informative and now have a better idea of where youd like to buy your pet supplies.
