Pet Country
Pet Country versus Pet Smart. Who has the upper hand in pet supplies and knowledge? Is one really better than the other? What differences are there between the two stores?
Pet Country is located on Donaghey Avenue in Conway, Arkansas, at one of the strip malls. There are big red and yellow letters making it hard to miss the store. Pet Country is a privately owned store by Pierre Deymonaz and Lisa Deymonaz. The store provides pet merchandise, training, pets, and other pet provisions and necessities. Pet Country covers many pets including freshwater fish, saltwater fish, birds, rabbits, iguanas, ferrets, mice, rats, cats, dogs, snakes, gerbils, hamster, lizards and geckos. Out of the pets Pet Country provides, only cats and dogs are not actually sold at the store. However, there is a large range of provisions for all the animals. Food, homes, beds, cages, health care items, toys, clothing, and many other provisions are provided for all the animals. Pet Country does lean toward specific animals though regarding how much merchandise is available due to supply and demand. Pet Country is one of a handful of providers of salt water fish in the state of Arkansas. Contrary to that however, is the fact that Pet Country does not have a high demand for cat supplies and therefore carries very little.
The layout of Pet Country is quite simple. When one enters the store the reptile section is to the left. Take a few steps forward and the register is on the left. To the right are bunnies and birds. If one continues to go to the right isles of merchandise are found. The merchandise ranges from fish supplies to dogs and cats. Further toward the right the dog beds and more bird supplies such as cages are found. Upon entering the store, if one goes all the way to the back there are fish to the left. To the right are dog and cat collars, as well as food for both animals (and cat litter).
The people at Pet Country provide friendly, fast service. The manager, Robin Smith, is often on duty. The owners, Pierre and Lisa, can often be found in the store as well. Excluding them, a staff is on hand that includes some specialized employees, such as those whose primary responsibility is salt water fish, to those who are general and simply work around the store wherever a helping hand is needed. The employee uniforms are color coded so it is easy for all to tell who to approach if one is in need of assistance. All employees wear red shirts. The manager wears a blue shirt. The owner wears a black shirt. All trainees wear gray shirts.
Pet Country versus PetSmart
PetSmart is another provider of pets and pet supplies in Conway. PetSmart is located on Elsinger Boulevard. PetSmart is a corporation that focuses on pets, their needs, and their owner’s needs. Services, supplies, and pets are all readily available at the store. Areas for merchandise include fresh water fish, reptiles, birds, cats, dogs, and small animals such as hamsters and gerbils. Food, beds, accessories, health care supplies, toys, and many other items are available for customers to choose from. Services such as training and salon services are available as well.
PetSmart is very easy to navigate as a customer. When one enters the check out stations are to the left. To the right are fish supplies, followed by reptile supplies. Further to down is where the cat supplies are located. At the very back of the store is where salon services are provided. Coming back up to the front of the store now on the left side is the dog supplies. At the left front corner of the store is where training services are provided. Large signs above each section can be found in different colors depending on the pet being sought. The birds and other sales merchandise are located right in the middle of the store. Pet Smart is pet friendly and welcome to all pets on a leash.
Employees are friendly and customer conscious. All employees wear a blue shirt and khaki pants. Employees also have name badges that allow customers to identify their hierarchy within the store.
So what is the big difference between Pet Country and PetSmart as far as pet owners are concerned? There are several differences between Pet Country and Pet Smart. Pet Country is privately owned and PetSmart is a large corporation. Being privately owned, Pet Country is often somewhat more expensive on items that can be found in both stores. Pet Country has salt water fish and Pet Smart only provides limited merchandise for salt water owners. However, PetSmart has a large amount of merchandise for cat owners while Pet Country does not. Salon services are also offered at Pet Smart which is not offered at Pet Country.
