Pet Stuff

Less than ZERO stars for this pathetic place masquerading as a caring pet store. HA! I just took a little Paws foster pup to the Des Plaines location for a few gifts & treats on her last night with me. Big sleety snowy storm today, but this being Chicago I didn’t hesitate because elections are won & lost here based on snow removal. They don’t mess around here– not like in LA where traffic comes to a standstill if it rains.
I made my way through the Jewel parking lot where there were clear paths through the snow, to park in front of Pet Stuff and promptly got stuck. Not one of their parking spots was shoveled out. I couldn’t go forward, I couldn’t go back, other cars were having to go around me to leave the lot. I put on the emergency lights, left the little pup whining in her doggie car seat, & ran in for help. I was met by the dumbest, least responsive person on earth (whose name was Nick?) who could offer no advice himself because he didn’t drive, fine, but had to be asked to call the main store to ask for the owner or someone who did drive. I have zero snow-​driving experience, relatively new driver altogether who recently learned to drive to live in LA, & I figured maybe there was some snow manœuvre that Chicago drivers know! I’d met the owner at the Wells/​Div location, knew him & the stores to be service oriented, had been shopping there for years with my dog. This idiot conveyed no info whatsoever to whomever answered at the laSalle St location. Just hung up & told me that the owner wasn’t there. I asked him to call back & explain the situation. He refused. I took out my own cell & asked him for the number. I thought he was gonna make me look it up. This is the most reluctant guy on the planet, I could not tell you why. It was so stupid.
A nice girl answered (I completed the call in my car to get back to the doggie!), I explained I was stuck in front of their store, said maybe the owner could ask this guy to help me, maybe they had a shovel in back, maybe he could give me a push– I didn’t know what to do. I could see (just before my windshield entirely fogged up) that the moron in their store in front of me had momentarily come to life & was having an animated conversation with someone on the phone– I thought maybe he’d found the owner. The girl I was speaking with said, «Don’t worry, we’ll find him, we’re gonna try & help you, I’ll call you back.» She took my number and was everything you’d expect a good employee & a normal human being to be. I hang up. I wait a bit. I call back the number I dialed & get the «we are closed or helping other ppl» message. I go back in to ask if moron guy had reached the owner Jason, he said he had been speaking with Nicole, whom I believe is the owner’s wife. He said her answer was, «We can’t [won’t] help her. It’s the Jewel’s parking lot.»
Nice people, eh? And this guy didn’t even have the courtesy to come out and tell me that. I guess he was just gonna watch me sittin’ in my stuck car less than 10 ft away from him through his storefront window. Talk about not going one inch out of your way. With the wife’s attitude, they’ve obviously found the ideal employee. They probably fired the nice girl before she could taint them with her humanity. She never called back.
Happily, a snowcat driver appeared, racing around the parking lot, so b4 I had to figure out how I was gonna cross the lot & take a dog into the Jewel to even ASK for emergency help, I flagged down the hero snowcat guy, who zipped right over to my car, took my key, and finagled me out of whatever jam I’d gotten myself into. He had nothing to gain, barely spoke English, and he would not take one penny from me. Stark contrast from the assholes at Pet Stuff.
So, in the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ category, my little foster girl will not get a bone to ease her teething, nor any special treats, toys, or parting gifts tonight.
It is she who pays the price now, but tomorrow I will make it my mission to buy elsewhere what I braved a storm to buy tonight, and I will spread the word to the pet community & every potential adopter I meet about the Grinch mentality of Pet Stuff. Waaaay too many other pet stores owned by wonderful people. Go see Alice at
on Armitage.

I have been here twice — the first time I was basically ignored by a girl on her phone in the store. I ended up buying a coat for my dog but didn’t think I would be back.
The second time, a few months later, I decided to give them another chance. I brought my dog, which was probably a mistake because the isles/​merchandise in the store are so close together than any dog bigger than 10 lbs. would not be able to walk through without knocking down toys.
I picked out a toy and brought it to the front, and found the store had 7 or 8 buckets of smelly bully sticks and jerky RIGHT by the register. It was literally at dog nose level. It was a struggle to keep my dog’s attention, and the girl at the register didn’t even acknowledge my dog. Do they like dogs here?
I will go to Petco next time. It isn’t local, but they are happy to see my dog there and don’t put open treats on ground level.

I love these folks. I’ve used the Des Plaines store, the one on Wells, and their free delivery. The folks that do the delivery are super courteous, and they have everything we need in stock. It’s the only place we buy our food, trests, and litter for our furry family (cats and dogs). Love them!

Good selection and good location. I shop here fairly often. On the pricey side though.

Pet Stuff is great! They have the food that we feed our pups and the parking lot in this location is very convenient. We love the rewards programs and the free delivery when we cannot get to the store.

This location is great! Easy parking lot, helpful staff, great products. I haven’t done home delivery but its sweet the offer it. Great rewards program too!

It’s a cute little pet boutique shop with a friendly staff. It is always very clean in there, doesn’t smell like animals like most shops do. I usually find everything I am looking for and they offer delivery. I appreciate how selective they are with what they offer (all natural, pretty much all American brands) but sometimes it can be a little difficult to find something basic or at an affordable price. There is parking here and it is very convenient to get to. I will absolutely be coming back.

Every one at our local Pet Stuff locations are very nice and helpful. This is a great place to drop by for a treat. The prices are on the higher side compared to what you may find at other stores. For example, a medium sized rawhide bone was $ 10.99 which you can typically find for around $ 7 or less. You can also find some harder-​to-​find items like «pill pockets» here versus Jewel-​Osco so that helps, too.
Overall, we enjoy coming here every once in a while when we are out for a long walk on a nice day. We will visit again.

I’ve always had good luck when I’ve gone to Pet Stuff, so I’m certainly not complaining, but I think that living around the corner from Soggy Paws has ruined me. They are just so awesome and I love them so very much that nobody else compares. The staff is always very nice and helpful and the selection is good, albeit with limited inventory. Like I said, I have a really good impression of Pet Stuff, but I just can’t give them 5 stars because Soggy Paws is so incredibly awesome.

We love pet stuff. They have such unique stuff that is never over priced. They even have organic dog food — a must in our house. I truly enjoy going there and the staff are very friendly and well informed about all the products in the store.

It’s OK. I would rave about it. They have what an owner needs in an emergency i.e. food, puppy pads, collars, leashes, toys but they don’t have a wide variety of clothes, harnesses (they have the basics) and treats.
Given their location, across from several dog friendly buildings, they serve a purpose and are meeting a need in the area. If you need general supplies, it’s great! It saves you from driving to Petsmart on Canal or Petco on Orleans.

Seeing a lot of expired food here lately. The last time i went there i mentioned this to the cashier, who said they could place an order for me for fressh food, however that doesnt help since i am out of food NOW and dont have time to come back again.

For the most part, while I can appreciate their selection of high-​quality foods, their prices are sky-​high. I will pop in for the occasional treat or toy for my dogs, but even then their prices are so much higher than other smaller pet supply shops, not to mention the larger stores for some items. Convenience relative to location is the only reason I come here.

Very convenient! Has a great selection if quality toys, foods and treats. I have a dog sensitive to gluten foods and they always carry my specialty brand, Orijen Fish Blend. It seems I can never get out without buying a treat or toy for my pup! She loves going there. Also very friendly.

I found this store online because I needed a Puppia Harness for my sister’s dog that I am pet-​sitting and I couldn’t wait to order online.
I had done some research online as to the size I would need but I still had questions. When I got to Pet Stuff the guy working was super helpful and very nice. He helped me figure out exactly what size harness was best and told me that if I got home and it didn’t fit I could return it or exchange it. For a small store they have a great selection of food, toys, leashes and harnesses.
Puppia is the best harness I have found, and Pet Stuff had a great selection of sizes and colors, but the customer service hands down won me over.

WHY OH WHY are you ALWAYS out of the food we need???
We go to Pet Stuff specifically because they have a punch card where if you spend $ 200 or so you get $ 20 off. It seems worth it to us, since we spend $ 70−80/month on dog food.
BUT…
EVERY freaking time we go there we end up having to switch Molly’s food because they’re always out of what we’re feeding. Always. Even when we switch to what they have in stock, it’s out of stock next time we’re there. Their response? «Call ahead and we’ll order it.» Riiiiiight, I’m so very organized that I’ll know three days before Molly runs out of food. More like, we run out of food and come to you all in desperation– why can’t you be more helpful???
That and the «Stepped out– be back soon» sign. Twice now I’ve met this foe. Usually Molly comes with on our food-​buying missions and when you have a pitbull in the car, sitting in the parking lot for an undisclosed amount of time is a rather troubling proposal. (Molly likes the car to be MOVING.) Do I stay and wait it out? Or leave? Is the staff taking a two minute pee break or a half hour lunch? Put a time on it, dammit!

I have a very small 1lb Maltese who is the love of
I have a beautiful-​very tiny Maltese weighing in at 1lb 6oz. She is my baby and I take her everywhere with me. She prefers to walk and sniff vs being carried. I was waiting for my vet appt on wells St in Old town and stumbled upon Pet Stuff. They had a wide variety of pet harnesses which was exactly what I was looking for. The staff was friendly and helpful so I purchased an XS harness.
When I got my dog home (in the west loop) I found the harness was way too big. I don’t own a car and needless to say I’m not in old town often.
I had to make a return visit to the vet two wks later and was bummed when I realized I forgot her harness to return. The staff again very friendly and helpful told me there was another store on Des Plaines St near my house. They don’t make her harness any smaller so he said I could return it. Harness in it’s original package with tags still in it and receipt attached.
I took my lunch break and walked over to the pet stuff on Des plaines in the 90degree weather. The girl there was not helpful. She refused to return the harness as she said I needed a second receipt? What?! I was never given any other receipt! She would not help me even though I told her the manager of the old town store told me to go there to return. I’m so angry. What poor customer service. Now I have a useless $ 30 harness and i will NEVER shop at either store again! Not mention the waste of my time and VERY hot walk to the store. I hope nobody else gets the poor service that me and my dog received.
Power struggle I guess…
I would never recommend this store to anyone. If u so choose to shop here make sure you buy exactly what you need!

There are a few things that I hold near and dear to me, and one is my kitty cat. I take her health very seriously.
So much so that I buy her expensive cat food from a local business because I expect the best quality products and superior customer service.
So when you bring back a full bag of cat food, and tell them that since you have been feeding it to your pet, she is puking all over the place, can’t you just issue a refund without the receipt?
Is it that hard?
You can’t do a search on my credit card?
You don’t remember that I was in a week ago purchasing this bag of cat food, Mr. Pet Stuff Employee? Because I remember you.
Out of principle, I drove all the way home to Lakeview to get the stinkin’ receipt and drove all the way back and got my money back. I will never shop here again. If I want to be treated like a number, I will go to Petco.

Pet Stuff is in the neighborhood and opened about the same time we took Matilda home. For a small space, they have a huge selection of everything for dogs. There are food, treats, toys, carriers, clothes, etc. I’m not sure about other animals since we only have a dog. Emily is the sweetest person, and so kind to everyone and all the animals that come in. She always cuddles with Matilda and gives her treats. We often stop in to visit after a walk.

I just stumbled upon this pet store while I was grocery shopping at Jewel. The little strip mall it is in seems to be fairly new, and I wasn’t sure what was open and what wasn’t, but luckily Pet Stuff was.
The selection of dog food is great. We feed our pup California Natural, which obviously can’t be found in your regular pet store, and it also seemed to have a lot of other specialty dog and cat foods as well. There were tons of toys and treats, and the person working the register was really nice and helpful.
I hope more people learn about this place because it’s so convenient for us, and we don’t want to lose it! There’s a free parking lot (which is key because we buy the 30 lb bags of food and trying to lug it a few blocks to a parking spot is rough), and it’s right across from the Jewel so you can get all your shopping done at once.
I just checked out their Web site, and I guess they deliver, too. Not too shabby.
Of course, it is a specialty store so the prices are higher than what you’d find at a chain pet store, but if you need very specific food, they’ll probably have it.
All you south and west loop pet owners, definitely check this place out!