The Dog Food Decision

By Melanie Dallas

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I blogged recently about the decision to stock Thundershirts in my boutiques, instead of selling them on a special order basis as I had done. That decision continues to pay dividends with Thundershirt sales still on the rise and thunderstorm season not too far off. Since I’m feeling particularly confident lately, I’ve made a similar decision with respect to carrying dog food in my treat and apparel boutiques.

As most of you who follow this blog know, I recently moved my Downtown Saratoga Springs, N.Y., store to a larger location and am no longer space limited. While the margins are lower on dog food, selling it does promote more frequent visits, which should correlate to more frequent purchases of other items that carry larger margins. Therefore, offering dog food should pay for itself in the long run.

With regards to competition, I’ve been doing my homework on what to offer. Being a boutique, my customers are willing to pay a little extra for better quality. I’ve used the website DogFoodAdvisor extensively and have identified a few different dog food brands I haven’t seen locally that I’m planning to try. I’m not going to identify them at this point in time because doing so would be an endorsement…I want to get some runtime on them, see what my customers think, before endorsing the products.

One concern that I do have is in regards to the recent rash of dog food recalls. As you probably know, the recalls are not confined to lower-end dog food brands. They have touched all ends of the quality spectrum. You can look at the company’s manufacturing history, the size of the operation, the ingredients used, etc., and make an educated decision on who to go with. However, there are no guarantees and you have to rely on the company’s integrity, as well as the oversight of the FDA and USDA and hope for the best.

I’ll let you know in a couple of months my initial impressions of offering dog food in my boutiques. Hoping for the best!

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The Dog Food Decision

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As a small pet retail store owner, I believe you will see much more "activity" with your current customer base as well as new customers wanting a better quality products. I am a healthy pet food market + organic grooming spa. I only carry foods + treats made in the USA (not an easy task) + a few excellent foods/treats from Canada + New Zealand. What separates my store from the big box stores is that I "specialize" in the best quality products + I am extremely knowledgeable about the products. I know about the protiens, what foods are best for pets with digestive issues, allergies, pancreatitis, kidney disease, etc. I research everything in the store. Vets send their clients to my store for food + alternative natural remedies for their pets. (you might want to add probiotics, glucosomine + essentials oils to start with as well.Knowledge is key. You will stand out + you will be known as an expert in your field! Enjoy... the best to you! cheryl, venice, FL Posted: 5/9/2012 3:15:19 PM