Get 30% OFF plus Free Shipping Now
Use Our Chewy Exclusive Coupon
Have you ever thought about how much your pet food costs per year? If you read some average calculations, you will find that people spend about $120 to $500 each year. That largely depends on the type of animal and on the brand of food you choose to buy.
Pet food essentials can be delivered by many companies
It is definitely cheaper to feed a 10 pound Chihuahua than a 110 pound German shepherd. And then think about kibble that costs $20 per 30 pound bag versus $57 for the same amount.
Chewy.com and Amazon compete for our pets’ attention
I feed my dog Marlo, who weighs 60 pounds, Purina Sport 20/30 formula, which is about $47 per 30 pound bag on Amazon. It lasts us about 2 months, so it’s $282 per year, but then I still buy some canned food and treats, which can easily add another $200 or so each year. After doing some calculation I decided to compare some pet retailers to see where I should buy dog food to save the most money. I am also looking to find a more customer oriented retailer for my pet needs, such as Chewy.com, so I am very interested to see if they are price leaders as well.
Dogs know when something good comes to them
Just like with groceries, shopping around definitely makes sense. It is quite possible that I will end up shopping at a few retailers instead of one convenient place to get the best value.
The stores that most interest me are Walmart, Chewy.com, PetSmart, Vitacost, and Petco as they are my favorite places to get dog supplies. Chewy.com is taking the lead lately, thanks to their great service and huge amount of choices.
Vitacost joins delivery ranks as well
If you go online and look for various comparisons, you can discover some generalized averages, but that might not be very informative. The best way is to compare the food you usually buy at all the places and see what works best for your individual case.
Grocery stores still have pet supplies, but no social distance
I did that, but first I looked at those generalized averages:
- Walmart is 12% lower than general average
- PetSmart is about 2% lower
- Petco is right at average
- Chewy.com was found the least expensive online option, 11% less than in-stores average
- Vitacost doesn’t have full dog food supply, but overall prices are just a bit lower than average
This can give some ideas, but as I mentioned above, you should look at case by case. Buying online versus in-store appeals to me because of the convenience factor and because I can save on gas when getting free shipping right to my house. You can also save quite some money when you sign up for auto-delivery option, usually about 30% on the first order and then 10% on each bag. Those auto-ship orders can be suspended, cancelled, and modified anytime.
Full shelves at grocery stores, but not many buyers
Let’s take a look at what my main dog food and canned food costs at those four retailers per pound and per can to make our own conclusion. These are prices of 37-pound bags of Purina Sport 30/20 adult dry dog food and Organix canned dog food:
Chewy.com
Chewy delivery is of vital importance these days
- Purina dog food – $36.95 with auto-ship, which is $0.99 per pound
Chewy has great prices and great choices
- Organix 12-pack – $35.91 with auto-ship, which is $2.99 per can
See Chewy.com Coupons:
- $15 OFF Your Purchase with code CHEWYRX
- Free Shipping on Orders Over $49
Chewy offers various discounts
Walmart
- Purina dry food – $38.86 or $1.01 per pound
- Organix 12-pack is not sold at Walmart
Purina dog food can be delivered from stores
- 30% OFF Your Order plus Free Delivery on Your Order with code DELIVERY
- $10 OFF Purchases of $50 or more with code WOWFRESH
PetSmart
Pets need healthy food during quarantine at home
- Purina dry food – $47.98 or $1.29 per pound
- Organix canned food – $3.15 per can
Many pet stores offers discounts on food
Petco
- Purina dry food – $45.58 with repeat delivery, making it $1.23 per pound
- Organix canned food – $35.76 with repeat delivery or $2.98
See Petco Discounts:
- 10% off Online Order
- Free Shipping on All Orders over $49
Vitacost
Vitacost can deliver pet supplies too
When it comes to this retailer, I couldn’t find the food I usually use there, because they don’t specialize in dog food, but they definitely have some nice options for dry dog food and for canned as well. The main brands Vitacost carries are Abound and Crave. Abound sells for $22.99 per 14 lbs dry food bag and Crave is $27.66 for 12 lbs bag. These foods are a little more expensive than mine, but they are natural and have good ingredients. I am definitely going to try them both sometime. Canned dog food brand at Vitacost is Wellness, which is $3.18 per can. That is on a pricier side, but I’ll pay extra for good ingredients in my baby’s food.
See Vitacost Coupons:
- 10% OFF Your Order with code TEN10X
- Free Shipping on $25+
After this research I understood that Chewy.com is the one and only place for me. First of all, they have everything I need versus Walmart, which doesn’t even sell Marlo’s favorite canned food. Purina dry food, our main staple is by far the cheapest. Walmart has almost the same price, but given the fact that I can’t get my canned food there, why would I shop for dry food to save $0.02 cents per pound?
Organix canned food at Chewy and Petco costs the same, but because dry food is 30 cents more expensive at Petco, I am not going to shop there and waste my time working with two websites. Vitacost gives me a nice, but more expensive option to try different dog food.
This little research also helps me understand that prices are all over the place and only by doing the research you can see what works best for you. The price online and the price in-store might not be the same. Finally, you will save more by buying bigger size, always.
Keep in mind that stores have sales, special pricing, and coupon codes from time to time, so always check for those when shopping. When something you use all the time goes on sale, it makes sense to stock up, especially with long pet food shelf life. Happy savings!