If you have pets, you know how important it is to source the best food, toys, and supplies for them so you can give them the best life possible. I have a few regular sources for everything I need to keep my three mischievous cats happy and fed, and one of them is Chewy.com. If you’ve never ordered from Chewy before, you’re missing out — this pet supplier has great deals and great service, and it’s worth the credit card fee. Here’s why you should check out Chewy.
1. The deals available
Chewy offers many great deals on select items, and at any time, your order may qualify for a free gift card, free pet bag, or a free toy. I went to the Chewy site to see what deals might be available today, and found a “buy three, get the fourth free” sale, with hundreds of items eligible. This includes dog and cat toys, food, and even cleaning supplies (always a must when you have pets).
And a free gift card with an eligible order is always welcome — one of the orders I placed last year came with a $25 gift card. Shopping at Chewy means having the opportunity to take advantage of these deals.
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2. Helpful product reviews
If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for new pet products to make your life easier as well as spoil your pet. Chewy is a great place to learn about new treats, toys, and more, thanks to product reviews left by other pet owners just like you. When you’re looking for inventory, you can sort the list to view products by rating, and it can be a timesaver.
And Chewy staff members read reviews on the site, at least to some degree. I ordered a few cat litter bags which unfortunately were not enough, and I left a review saying that. A few days later, I had an email from Chewy’s customer service, apologizing for the quality of the product and mentioning that my money would be refunded!
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3. Free and automatic shipping
Here’s where I admit that I don’t use Chewy’s Autoship service, which does a lot like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save (and I don’t use that either). It’s not because the service stinks — I have a lot of friends with pets, and many of them swear by Autoship. With Autoship, you choose the products and how often you want them shipped to you. You’ll save 35% on your first Autoship order and 5% on subsequent orders.
But I prefer to order items when I need them, and Chewy is here too. Until recently, you had to spend at least $49 to get free one- to three-day shipping from Chewy, but when I was researching this article, I found out that the threshold has been lowered to $35! And if you only need, say, $20 worth of items, you can get expedited shipping for a flat rate of $4.95.
Wait, what about the prices!?
I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy saving money on my purchases, but I don’t base my purchasing decisions entirely on how much a particular item costs at a particular retailer. The shopping experience counts with the hit to my checking account. I did some price analysis for the things I buy most often for my three cats, to see how the costs shake out at Chewy, Amazon, and PetSmart:
|
items |
Chewy price |
Amazon price |
PetSmart prices |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Purina Beyond Grain Free Dry Cat Food (Ocean Whitefish and Egg) |
$28.94 for 11 pounds |
$28.94 for 11 pounds |
$38.99 for 11 pounds |
|
Hartz Delectables Bisque Senior Variety Pack |
$12.94 for a 12-pack |
$12.94 for a 12-pack |
$12.99 for a 12-pack |
|
Tidy Cats Lightweight Free and Clean Clumping Litter |
$25.48 for 17 pounds |
$24.11 for 17 pounds |
$27.99 for 17 pounds |
Data sources: Chewy, Amazon, PetSmart.
For two of my items, Amazon and Chewy price them the same. For the third, Amazon is cheaper, but not by much. And in all cases, PetSmart is the most expensive. For individual items that I buy most often, I check Amazon or Chewy to see which is cheaper, and generally buy from there. PetSmart is often my third choice, and not just because of price — I have a PetSmart store in my area, but it’s easier to order pet supplies, so I’ll probably default to one of the online-only option.
Although Chewy sometimes has the cheapest prices, my reasons for using it go beyond saving money. I love fast free shipping, finding deals on different products, and reading helpful reviews so I know I’m getting products my cats will love. Try Chewy and see what you think.
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