Pet Pride
Even dogs are going for natural products with Kroger's Pet Pride Natural Hip & Joint Formula Dog Biscuits.
Drugstores take on private label pet care.
Nothing is recession proof. However, pet owners continue to purchase products for their pets, if only at a more conservative rate and perhaps choosing to omit luxury items from their purchases. The American Pet Products Association estimated that $45.4 billion will be spent on pets in the U.S., including $17.4 billion on food, $10.2 billion for supplies/OTC medicine, $12.2 billion on vet care, $2.2 billion for live animal purchases, and $3.4 billion on pet services such as grooming and boarding. As the data proves, pet food and supplies are on the top of the list of pet shoppers’ purchases. Pet owners have numerous choices of where they can shop for pet products: pet specialty shops, supermarkets, mass merchandisers, and even drugstores. A trend that seems to be emerging is that drugstores are introducing their own brand pet product lines, eliminating the need for pet owners to travel to mass merchandisers or specialty pet stores for their pet products.
Walking down the pet care aisles of two major drugstores, Walgreens, Deerfield, IL, and CVS, Woonsocket, RI, shoppers will be pleasantly surprised that they can now purchase private label pet care products while shopping for their health and beauty needs. Walgreens offers Pet Shoppe, a line of dog beds, food and treats, while CVS offers Pet Central, with pet beds and toys.
In comparing the two private label lines, Walgreens Pet Shoppe line features a wider variety of items, however the products are mainly for dogs. Dog food includes Pet Shoppe Crunchy Bites Dog Food with balanced omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, essential vitamins and minerals for overall nutrition and 100% complete and balanced nutrition. A 4.4-lb bag costs 2/$9.00 or $5.49 each. Flavored Snacks Biscuits for small and medium sized dogs come in a box with 5 flavors–beef, bacon, chicken, vegetable, and cheese. The design of the box is simple, with a picture of a dog and the biscuits against a red background and a blue label. New to the snack line is Pet Shoppe Ultra Chewy Snacks for Dogs, which are made with “highly digestible” rice and sell for 2/$4.00.
The retailer offers several varieties of pet beds for $10.00 each, including: Pet Shoppe Dog Paw Bed, which comes in blue and beige, black and beige or maroon and beige; Pet Shoppe Cozy Fur Pet Bed in a brown animal print; Pet Shoppe Deluxe Corduroy Pet Bed in colors such as olive green or maroon. According to reviews, customers and their pets seem to like the pet beds. On Walgreens’ website, one reviewer stated, “Our pugs love this bed! They take turns sleeping on it, and they don’t bite on it (as they have with previous dog beds).”
CVS recently introduced its pet care line, Pet Central, which is more limited than Walgreens’ line. Visiting a couple of tri-state area CVS locations, Private Label was only able to find a smattering of Pet Central items, perhaps because the line is new and only began to appear on shelves at the end of August. However, the items seen on shelves are fun and colorful and point to a promising private label pet care line for CVS. The label of the line is modern with a light green background and white and black lettering. The words, “care, groom, play” appear on all the labels.
Private Label came across several cat and dog toys. Found on shelves were plush, furry toys for dogs, including zoo animals (a leopard), farm animals (a pink pig, yellow chick and blue rabbit), and a bird with a rope tail. Also found was a pack of tennis balls with ropes in different colors such as yellow, blue and pink. For cats, the retailer offers a pack of black and white mice.
The Pet Central line also comprises pet beds. Similar to Walgreens, shoppers seem to like the new pet beds, on SoWal.com one customer writes, “Bought one on sale at CVS for $3.99 and my cat loved it so much, that I bought another when they came in ...as a backup. The regular price is $5.99... but still a phenomenal bargain for such a soft and comfy bed. I dropped it down on the floor when I came home to unload and found her later already curled up on it.”
The pet beds are for cats or dogs, 100% polyester fill and according to the retailer, the soft fleece lining keeps pets warm and comfortable.
Must Love Pets
Although drugstores are rolling out pet care lines, judging from the assortment and quality of private label pet care items found at Target, Minneapolis, MN, and Wal-Mart, Bentonville, AR, mass merchandisers are still a go-to place for pet care products.
Wal-Mart has numerous items for both cats and dogs. For cats, the retailer features toys, treats and food. For example, shoppers can find a Refillable Catnip Wand, which is a little white seal attached to a wand and a small container of pure catnip. Also shoppers can find a pack of rubber balls with and without bells, feathers, catnip and a little pouch for the catnip.
Under its Special Kitty line, Wal-Mart offers cat treats in flavors such as turkey and seafood. The treats come in resealable foil pouches with a picture of a cat on the front and different color backgrounds. Also available are Special Kitty Kitten Treats that are soft and moist and easier for kittens to consume.
Shoppers can also find cat food under the Special Kitty line. The food comes in a can or in a pouch. The Special Kitty Select gourmet cat food in a 3-oz. pouch has a much sleeker look than the can. The pouches have a white background with lavender and yellow label. There are several different flavors including duck & wild rice in gravy, tuna in sauce, and filet mignon with shrimp in gravy.
The Special Kitty can options include flavors such as savory salmon, ocean white fish and tuna entrée, and a new Special Kitty Starters option, which is a chicken recipe for kittens.
Wal-Mart also boasts a large selection of dog toys and food. Shoppers can find dog toys under Wal-Mart’s American Dog Outfitters PL brand including items such as a little hedgehog that squeaks and a motorized Zany Ball, which promises “Zig-Zagging, flipping fun, Endless entertainment for your Pooch.” Shoppers can also find small stuffed animals such as a bear and a raccoon, as well as a squid squeaky toy, just to name a few.
Target joins Wal-Mart as a go-to place for private label pet products. Target offers several different PL lines for cats and dogs including its Pet Essentials line. Immediately noticeable in the pet aisle is an entire display of Pet Essentials brand dog treats, especially bones. The label of the Pet Essentials brand reads, “The Sofa will thank you.”
Of the many choices, shoppers can find rawhide munchies in the form of lollipops. The retailer claims that the product, “Satisfies dog’s chewing urges, Great Reward, Fun Chew.” There are also knotted bones that are dental coated. The product, “Helps reduce plaque and tarter build up, helps protect tooth enamel from attack by bacteria. Calcium abrasives help clean and brighten teeth.”
Most pet owners consider their pets to be an integral part of the family, therefore, pet owners look for only the best for pet products. Although there is a recession, pets still need to be fed and taken care of, and with their selection of private label pet products, retailers are making it easier for pet owners to find affordable pet products.
