Pet Supplies Plus vs PetSmart – Price Comparisons & Differences (2025)

Many pet owners love the convenience of large chain pet stores. They have everything that you could possibly need for your dog, cat, hamster, rabbit, reptile, or fish. Two reputable top pet chain stores in the United States are PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus. On the surface, these two chain stores might seem exactly the same, but there are quite a few differences.

PetSmart is a larger chain than Pet Supplies Plus, so finding a PetSmart location in your state is likely going to be easier. However, both offer online options too. PetSmart’s larger size also enables the company to match competitive prices more often than Pet Supplies Plus, so people often have an easier time finding specific or specialty products that they need for their pets. That said, customers of both chains state that Pet Supplies Plus offers better customer service.

If you are trying to decide between PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus for your pet shopping needs, this article goes over essential details about both companies, their pros and cons, and how the customers feel about them.

At a Glance

Let’s examine each chain store’s key points and what it offers its customers overall.

Overview of PetSmart

PetSmart has been around for over 30 years and has about 1,600 stores. It is definitely a well-known company due to the size, location, and products offered. It remains a top competitor among pet supplies retailer stores and companies.

Overview of Pet Supplies Plus

Pet Supplies Plus was founded in 1988 and has grown to be among the top five pet product retailing companies in the United States. Currently, there are 560 locations spread out over 36 states. Although not as large as some major competitors, it still has a decent selection of popular pet products.

How Do They Compare?

Price

Since PetSmart is a larger chain store, it can offer more competitive prices on its products compared to Pet Supplies Plus. Both PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus will be similar or close on some products, though. Shopping online at either store usually has better deals than the physical stores.

Location

PetSmart has over 1,500 locations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Its stores can be found in almost all of the lower 48 states, with California having the highest concentration of PetSmart stores overall. Pet Supplies Plus has fewer locations and stores in general. There are only about 560 stores open, making this store harder to find depending on what state you live in.

Variety of Products

This is where PetSmart shows an advantage over Pet Supplies Plus. Since PetSmart is a larger chain store, customers can easily find unique or specific products (especially foods) they need for their pets. While Pet Supplies Plus does have a decent variety, people should either check online or call their local store to see if the product they want is available.

Customer Satisfaction

A customer’s experience can vary daily; however, the overall view of customer service offered through Pet Supplies Plus has been positive. Since the company is smaller, people feel they can reach customer service easily. While PetSmart does get positive reviews on its customer service, the results are mixed. Some people find that because PetSmart is such a large company, it is much harder to speak to someone on the phone if they have a problem.

What the Users Say

One way to determine if you want to spend your money at a particular place or company is to hear what past or current customers have to say about their experiences. We looked over recent reviews of what PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus customers had to say about in-store experiences, online shopping, or grooming services. There are positive experiences and negative ones for both chains.

PetSmart

Many people are pleased to find so many different specialty foods, treats, and accessories at PetSmart. Larger chain stores tend to offer the convenience of finding what you need in one location.

There have been some negative experiences when trying to reach customer service on the phone about an issue. Customers also complained about the quality of the grooming services offered at store locations. Customers like the prices of the grooming options, but some people have not been pleased with the results or treatment of their pets.

Pet Supplies Plus

Overall, many customers were pleased with the service that employees offered at Pet Supplies Plus. They were polite, eager to assist with product location, and helped them carry oversized items to their cars. Customers were also impressed with the employees’ knowledge of the products and the animals they sell as pets.

However, a handful of people reported that the small pets they purchased at the store got sick, which ended up costing them a lot in vet bills. Some other people could not find specific items for their pets at in-store locations. Since Pet Supplies Plus is a smaller company, it more often stocks popular name brands that it knows will sell easily instead of special items.

Conclusion

If you want to look for more specialized or unique pet foods or products, PetSmart is going to be a better choice. It’s a larger company and has more locations across the country. If you are more budget-conscious, PetSmart will likely have more competitive prices on many of its products. However, checking online at either PetSmart’s site or Pet Supplies Plus’s site can offer you better deals compared to in-store prices. Also, more people recommend Pet Supplies Plus if you highly value customer service.

Happy shopping!

See Also:

• Best Petco Alternatives
• Petco vs Petsmart