If your prices weren't so outrageous to begin with, you'd still be in business.

totally agree with you LongNeck...

I was in there last week to buy the science diet for my dog and cat, but the prices had increased over 50% since my last purchase and they were out of stock in the kind I normally buy... so I left and went next door to Overwaitea and purchased the cheep stuff this time around. Hope they stay in business, but they won't do it by not having stock and raising their prices in large increments like that.

Longnecks1, agree with you 100%.

I agree also!
The prices are way out of line!
I won't even set foot in the door anymore!
Who did they think they were kidding?

Maybe when they vacate, good ol' Fabricland can move in. Seems to be a shortage of the combination of square footage, parking and zoning in every part of this town for a lot of businesses who wanna be here.. Good luck to both of them.

I agree, Petcetera is out to lunch on their prices. Maybe with a 70% off sale some of the stuff will actually be reasonable. I hope an Old Navy or something like that replaces them!

I to agree with the high prices comments. Its too bad that the business is in dire straits but I couldn't afford to shop there when I had a good paying job, let alone nowadays.

the other two pet stores are every bit as expensive.Found out today they aren't even honoring waranty stuff anymore either...
nice rip off...hope they don't get their protection..serve them right...

There are a lot of stores here in PG that rip us off....
But people shop there and pay the price. I find myself haggling a lot and you'd be surprised how many will deal as long as I promise not tell.....
Or make a list...when your out of town go shopping...my pick up is loaded everytime I go to the coast....

"my pick up is loaded everytime I go to the coast...."

That is a great way to keep prices high here and keep choice down. But then, we have known about that a long time. We have a higher level of disposable income here than other places of similar size in BC, but we have no community loyalty, thus we have fewer square feet of retail space per 10,000 in regional population than those other communities.

I assume Petcetera prices are the same here as they are in Vancouver.

Another 40 jobs down the drain in PG...........maybe soon it will be you!!!!

I had a building project of my own. I went all over town to get prices...best I could do here was at a cost of $3600 for spruce, untreated....In the Fraser Valley I bought everything I needed for $1600. And that was for treated lumber. Also cost of $300 to go and get it. Total $1900.
You can be as loyal as you want, but when that much of a difference, I won't be the one making huge profits for someone here to get there bonus.
I would gladly pay a little more here, but not double. Wake up PG....or you will go broke.

Longnecks1. I think your not telling all, or people don't want to deal with you, because of some issues.

I was in Petcetera a while back and noticed that the overall look of the store was going downhill fast.

So I'm not surprised to see the Bankruptcy. I know a lot of people in Prince George have pets, but I'm surprised at the total number of Pet stores in this town of 75,000 people. I wondered how they all made it.

As for PG businesses charging too much, I'm sure there are a few places that try and see how much they can make the customer pay. Afterall, they know that the next major city is an 8 hour drive no matter which direction you pick.

I'm not sure the "shop local" approach would result in lower prices for PG consumers anytime soon. So if your running a business and all of a sudden more people walked through the door you would think, "Wow, I'm making too much money, let's lower the prices". I doubt it.

What is frustrating about this town is the businesses that are here don't think that appearance counts. The lights in the signs are usually in need of replacement, clean and orderly shelves are uncommon, and staff are usually unhelpful.

If your lucky enough to have a chain store it typically gets the left overs from the Vancouvers or Montreals. Take for example, Sportchek and The Bay.

I go to those exact same chains in Vancouver and I feel like I stepped into the Twilight zone. There's no comparison. So, I think the managers/owners of the stores in PG have to fight more. I think they would rather complain than do something about it.

Think it's interesting..was in Home Depot the other day looking at prices. The assitintent manager came up to me on his own...saw me righting down prices...and said to me, without asking, what ever prices you find we will beat them by ten percent. This is from a place where a year a go told me the price is what you see and no deal. Wonder what woke them up.
I would rather deal CANADIAN.....

I lost my job yesterday at petcetera, not the prince george one though. From a employees point.... alote of people blame the employees for everything, but that is not the case..the prices are high, the staff dont get proper training, hire everyone at minimal wages,dont let us have enough staff on at one time to properly run the store and the company is very greedy. I am a strong beleiver in you have to put money into your your business to make money. As for the science diet cat/dog food...it wasnt petcetera that uped the prices this time it was the vender. Science diet even gave up letters to hand out to the customers to explain why. I hope this gave you a little understanding about petcetera.

What gets me is PG business owners figure you'll pay their price if you cant/wont go elsewhere. This strategy might have worked in the 70's but there's a little thing called the internet that changed all that. I'd much rather shop at home, but when I'm going to get screwed or the people are incompetent, I simply point, click and wait for the item to show up at my door.

The award for gouging is a tie between Andrew Sherrit and PG Tile

The award for incompetence goes to Canco Hose & Fitting whose sales guys can't piece together a thing unless you physically bring it in to beat them over the head with it. You are a "Hose and Fitting" Salesman - learn what a flare fitting is and how to size it!

After reading this article this morning, I went down to "pick the bones" at Petcetera and about 95% of the store is marked down 15% right now. When mentioning the bankruptcy to an employee, he said that it was just a spring sale and that the rest was not true. So is he full of it or is it not common knowledge to the employees?

Any job lost is sad for all of us. We could be next.
Minimouse, you are a very prescient person. You sound like you don't have a dumb bone in your body. All you have to do is improve your English skills and you could soar.
You're a very smart person.
Nothing you said sounded bitter. Your letter came across as coming from a very wise person that could have run that business in a more successful manner.
Go for it! There's opportunity out there and you're a smart person.

If city hall needed to buy dog food, they would probably go to Williams Lake to buy it and claim they got a free shovel with every large bag for large dogs. If it walks like a duck, buy it from somewhere else.

Yes they do have us by the you know whats here in PG. Recently I went to a local auto supply store and was going to be charged $10.00 more for the same item I could purchase out of the States including the difference in the dollar and shipping. When I asked why I would have to pay more I was told "the economy" Hell of a good answer, needless to say my stuff is coming out of the States.

They are too expensive. Support local and shop at Dog-Gone Bakery!

Hey big dog! Usually when a company is shutting the doors they dont tell any employee's till the day they get laid off.
They keep it from them so they dont do un-honest acts because they are angry. They want to make as much money from the "sales" people before they close the doors. If they knew they wouldnt give 100%....they often are angry and dont care anymore.

I once had a specialty retail business in Prince George, and prided myself on providing fair prices for most of my products. I found that I could usually sell for the same price, or very close, as the larger Vancouver or Edmonton shops and still make a reasonable profit. How did the local shoppers approach my pricing?
Well, quite a number of them chose to make a trip to the big smoke to save what in many cases was the cost of the freight for me to bring it here, let alone the cost of floorspace to keep it in stock. This was long before the internet, but with the advent of toll free numbers, it was easy ands free for people to 'shop' around. I like a bargain as much as the next guy, but as a result of my own experiences, I will always, always shop local, provided the price difference is not too great and even more important, the service is good. If the local dealer does not support the products they are selling, or if the service is lacklustre, they do not get my trade. You should always expect to pay a little more here for the same product than you would in the South. I agree that some tend to gouge, or seem to. If they do, it is a very short sighted practice, that does not encourage loyalty amoungst the patrons.
metalman.

'Justamom' with a new username. I quite like petcetera. I can honestly say the only one I have been to is in PG. I have always gotten good knowledgable service.

Prices really aren't any higher than the other local pet stores.

I was told that an exotic animal ban has also limited many pets that will be available at stores in the near future?. I haven't read anything but from what I was told. Even tropical fish will be affected. Any trueth to that ?..

In any event-competition is healthy. I'm definitely with Metalman. If you want to have a successful business it is essential to offer fair pricing and good service. No matter the size of your business.

'Justamom' with a new username. I quite like petcetera. I can honestly say the only one I have been to is in PG. I have always gotten good knowledgable service.

Prices really aren't any higher than the other local pet stores.

I was told that an exotic animal ban has also limited many pets that will be available at stores in the near future?. I haven't read anything but from what I was told. Even tropical fish will be affected. Any trueth to that ?..

In any event-competition is healthy. I'm definitely with Metalman. If you want to have a successful business it is essential to offer fair pricing and good service. No matter the size of your business.