[Gretchenpc]

Hey guys, I was wondering something. We have a PetSmart and a PetCo in the town near us, and we have taken Winston to both occasionally since he was a younger pup (not very often though). I've also been to both stores myself without him a few times, and I've noticed that PetCo has a "perfumy" smell about it. It's a pleasant smell, I suppose, but today when we were there, along with a lot of other people, they were doing adoptions today, I noticed that the smell just seemed overwhelming and almost sickeningly sweet/strong. Maybe it's my imagination, but Winston seemed more agitated and ready to leave PetCo than he did PetSmart (which doesn't have the weird perfume smell). I was almost wondering if the smell was bothering him. It was bothering me, and I was thankful to get out in the fresh air when we left.

Anyone else notice this strong fragrant smell in a PetCo store? I wondered if it was all PetCos or just our local one.

 

[StormyPeak]

I've never been in either store, so I don't know about the smell...but as far as your dog acting agitated, I would think it might have been due to 'a lot of people' in the store along with probably more pets in from the shelter that were being put on display.

Also, the store is probably using a scent that is covering up smells that probably accumulate from the combination of bags of dog food, raw hide toys/bones, rubber balls, fish tanks, or bird and hamster cages...etc. If they keep shelter dogs on display there...then there's also 'kennel smells' that they are probably trying to make less noticeable.

Not sure on that, as I said, I've never been in either store....and if you dog has been in there with that scent before and never acted up, then it might have been just the more hectic atmosphere rather than the smell of it that got him agitated.

Stormy

 

[annageckos]

Many(many) years ago I worked at Petco, I don't remember a perfume smell and as far as I know nothing was used to cover the smell. It smelled like most other pet stores. I rarely go to the petco around here so I can't really comment on that store.

 

[KayWilson]

We only have a petsmart here, so I can't vouch for any smell at petco, but maybe they're using something to "calm" people into buying more? Like at an open house they'll pre-bake cookies/pie so people feel more relaxed and make the purchase. Or maybe it's supposed to calm the animals in store? Like a pheromone?

 

[Gretchenpc]

Yeah, I'm not sure what it is, but it's definitely noticeable and has been since PetCo opened here which was maybe two years ago. I usually think it smells good, but today, before we even got to the front door of PetCo (we have to walk past a mattress store and a gift shop in the same shopping center), we met up with some people who'd been in PetCo and were walking by with their purchase (a dog bed). You could smell the store's scent on them, and this was a good 100-150 feet away from the store itself.

It was definitely busier than usual, but we'd been at PetSmart just before that, and it was much busier than PetCo even (both stores doing adoptions). But it's very possible that Winston was just over it by then, though we stopped at Tractor Supply after PetCo and he was fine with it and there were a lot of people there, we stood in line for quite a long time to check out and Winston even let a woman scratch him on the head (which is a major thing, he usually ducks any attempts at petting).

Anyway, I was just wondering. I thought PetCo was so cool when it opened. It's a little "fancier" than PetSmart. It has a more...expensive...feel about it, I guess. And I think the fragrance in there is definitely on purpose and part of the atmosphere, I just don't remember it being so dang strong. Maybe they ramped up whatever it is because of the adoption dogs being inside instead of outside? In anycase, that store did seem more hectic. Two of the adoption dogs got into a scuffle through their pens, and another one was barking and jumping straight up and down high enough his feet were clearing the height of his pen. Kind of chaotic. So maybe that was it more than the smell where Winston's concerned. Personally, I was ready to escape all of it, so maybe he felt that too!

I think we'll stick to Tractor Supply from now on. That is where I got Winston after all! He's at home there, LOL.

 

[Rain]

Maybe they spilled whatever product it is?

 

[FourFurryPaws]

We have a Petco but not a Petsmart here. There is no perfumey smell here in Petco. I think it's just your store. It smells like toys and animals here, natural animal smell! From what I've read online, this Petco seems a TON better than other stores. I think it just varies from place to place. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the prices are a bit high, the animals are healthy and clean, they hold adoptions almost all the time (which is a chain thing), and...there is no perfume smell, hehe.

 

[agility collie mom]

How big is their grooming salon? If they groom a lot of dogs daily that could possibly be the source of the smell.

 

[annageckos]

I don't think petco does grooming, at least none around here do. Petsmart does grooming though.

 

[Gretchenpc]

Yeah, no grooming at this one, but PetSmart has a large grooming salon and that store doesn't have the weird perfume smell. Go figure. I guess it's just this location. It's in a kind of "trendy" shopping center/strip mall, so maybe that's part of it, I don't know.

Anyway, after yesterday's outing I think I've really decided that neither store is worth the drive and the time spent anymore for Winston. He much prefers TSC and his walks downtown and especially the state park, all of which are a lot closer. And they smell fine. LOL.

 

[FourFurryPaws]

Our Petco must be weird, we have a grooming salon. It's not small, but not very large either. It's a happy medium. It's a little strange our Petco is so good, we're a small town and generally I thought the bigger the town, the better the chain store? Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[Lassie0811]

I know exactly what you're talking about! I read this thread earlier and couldn't remember if my Petco had a smell or not, but I took a trip there the other day and low and behold I smelled the perfumy smell you were talking about. My Petco does have a large grooming area in it though. I thought it was a pretty pleasant smell but can see how it can easily get obnoxious in a higher content. I just thought I would answer you since nobody else seemed to have really experienced it besides you.