# 1st Petsmart to Winnipeg. What to look forward to?



## The Baron (Aug 25, 2009)

Hey all as title says, 1st Petsmart opening soon in Winnipeg.

Wondering what will we have to look forward to? 

How will the pricing and inventory selection be? Will it be a 
duplicate of the States'?

Thanks,

Dan


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

I strongly dislike petsmart. Bleh fish bleh reptiles bleh birds bleh supplies bleh staff.


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

Congrats to the 'Peg for getting more selection. Unfortunately, they are VERY hit and miss. Much better than Petcetera (cant do worse) but I doubt they will be able to compete much with the big super-Petland's you guys have. The one on Pembina was my fav. I have been gone for almost 4 years now, but I doubt too much has changed in that time.

Also, if you can stand the mess and general confussion, the place on Main near Selkirk (Fish and bird world or something like that) has an awesome assortment of livestock. I miss that place 

As for Petsmart, they carry lots of harware and dry goods, but only for the brands they support. For instance I went to 2 this weekend looking for a glass canopy for my Hagen tank, but they only carry X brand (forget right now) so the sizes were all specific to that brand. Some nice prices on tanks and tank kits, and some of the livestock is nice, unfortunately lots is not. Lots of mismarked stuff, lots of deads in the tanks.

As far as chains go, they are middle of the road. Not the level of Big Al's for fish, but they have eveything else you need for other pets so it kind of deends on your situation.

Where is it going to be located?

Go Big Blue!


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## The Baron (Aug 25, 2009)

I guess thats one no.

Anybody knows if its the same inventory and merchandise as
the states?


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

Oh and I would read about it on the Winnipeg aquarium message board but the admin there banned me for disagreeing with him. 

I guess he wasnt truly a "Friendly Manitoban"


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## The Baron (Aug 25, 2009)

Rhyno1974, your thinking of the BirdShop on Main near Selkirk.

It is a nice place with good selection, but the pricing is high.

Petsmart will be on Regent and Lagimodiere corner.

Regarding Petland, I HATE that place with a passion. Only 1 decent guy out of all the stores and their prices are rediculous. Did I mention I HATE Petland.
I wont go into the reasons but I refuse to deal with them.

We dont have a BigAls here but I think for equipment and supplies,I wil be ordering from an online store.


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

Please post a review for us once they open - curious to hear.


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## The Baron (Aug 25, 2009)

Will do, and by the way, Petcetera has closed their doors here permanently about 6 months ago.


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

They closed down here too, but reopened about 6 months later. We hoped, but well you can guess what kind of state they are in at the "new" stores now............


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

If PetSmart there is anything like PetSmart here, you can expect that Fish are not their number one priority. 60% of the retail shelf space is for other pets, including a huge amount of giant bags of big-brand dog and cat food, etc. 
About 40% is for aquarium space (tanks, dry goods). In praise of PetSmart, they are not a dogs-and-cats-in-glass-tanks store like PJs Pets. They have an adopt-a-cat booth at the back of the scarborough store, and they do not sell dogs or cats. Bless you PetSmart. If you want a dog or a cat, then rescue one, please. Don't fund the mills.

Back to the fish hobby; I'm not so sanguine. Our Scarborough Petsmart's local fish rooms are poorly stocked with poor quality bedraggled-looking fish, at unimpressive prices. The plant selection is minimal (6-8 kinds of aquatic plants). Tanks, filters, and heaters, and other core equipment is almost always priced higher than worse prices than Big Als, and they stock fewer brands here.

However, if you were to subtract Big Als from the equation, which I guess is the situation in the 'Peg, then you have your first big-box store coming in. The good thing is you'll have more dry goods choices, but probably it won't improve your list of places you're happy to buy fish from. The local Mom and Pop stores will probably be hurt, because they will have to drop their dry-goods markups from the range of 25-40% to around 5% just to compete. Many will stop selling tanks and filters completely, and will only sell fish and food, because frankly who wants to hold $100K in dry-goods inventory to make 5% profit on the 10% of your goods that move, leaving you in with $80K of inventory to sell at clearance prices (at or below your cost) on your first year, and so on. The money is in the live fish, and the fish food. 

Ergo, big als sells its tank starter kits here in Toronto at what must within 10% of their wholesale cost. Because an empty tank needs a fish, and a fish tank needs substrate, your filter needs inserts, your fish need food, and medications, and your pleco needs a piece of driftwood, and your 8 year old kid needs one of those little air-bubble scuba guy toys, etc etc. 

W


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

I shopped at petsmart for a while when i first got into aquariums. They have a decent selection and sometimes their prices are very reasonable. They don't often have sales. i remember their prices being below LFS, in some cases, mostly because larger stores/chains can buy more and distribute.

I'm in Toronto now so I don't have one in my area anymore.


As for fish and plant... not exactly exotic stock, but not bad either.
I found Lagosiphoron Major at Petsmart once
that was a nice find.

beware, they notoriously sell mondo grass as aquatic. it is not.


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