PetSmart on Atlantic Avenue officially opened this week and is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, November 12. The first 50 people to visit the store starting at 9:00am will receive gift cards containing mystery amounts. You can also enter your dog in the “Hottest Dog” contest sponsored by the on-site Banfield Pet Hospital. Joey Chesnut will serve as a contest judge and hot dogs are on the house. The winning pooch will receive a year’s worth of vet care at Banfield.
Curious to see what PetSmart had in store, we took a field trip to the retail giant. Just before noon on a weekday, the store had a decent number of human and canine customers. I was surprised by the number of people making grooming appointments. It made sense after learning their prices, which are considerably less than the going rate in the neighborhood. PetSmart even has a “Look Great Guarantee” providing free grooming if you’re not happy with their service.
Pet Smart also features an adoption center that was made up of all cats from what we could tell and a training center. The location boasts a Banfield Pet Hospital that bases care around health plans starting at $299 a year and include routine vaccines and unlimited office visits. Going to a chain store for training, grooming, and veterinary care seems rather impersonal to us. I worry we’d run the risk of a revolving door of personnel making it difficult to develop relationships and become a regular. When I brought this up to a technician at Banfield, she assured me the hospital had two permanent vets on staff. We weren’t able to learn if this was the case for training and grooming.
As for the shopping experience, it’s all about convenience and some savings. PetSmart carries most brands and allows you to save money by signing up for their rewards card. That said, it’s a rather bland retail experience. The location lacked quirky and innovative pet gear. The closest we came to this was the line of Martha Stewart pet products and Rock n Retro doggie tees.
PetSmart
238 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-852-2519
Store Hours
Monday-Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
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