Came to this petco for the first time. Staff was very friendly, helped me find everything i was looking for. I had bought some powdered puppy milk for puppies that are about a month old. Everything is was fine, they loved the milk but today one of the puppies had diarrhea and i saw on the label if they developed diarrhea to take them to the vet. I look at the expiration date and the milk was 2MONTHS EXPIRED PRIOR to when i bought the item. Yes, it was REALLY bad on my part that i didnt check the expiration date, but also bad on them that it was already 2MONTHS expired and it was on the shelf for THAT long, especially when it comes items for young animals. This can be very dangerous, check your items before you buy them please.. read more

I have had my elder Pug groomed at Petco a few times now and always had a positive experience. I feel most comfortable getting service from Tierra, since she really takes her time with my pooch. He's a major shedder so I get the de-shedding treatment and she works really hard (I mean goes over him 3-4 times) to make sure he loses as much hair as possible. She also treats him with care, since he's an older dog. She asks all the right questions, too - can he hear, see, does need help with his hind quarters, etc. I've paid twice as much for the same service and I think she does a much better job. I can't vouch for the other groomers, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Tierra. I will definitely take my dog back to her. read more

Wow! They did a great job on my dog! He is so fluffy, clean, styling and happy! And I agree with the comments about Lauren...she is wonderful!!!! read more

Not the local store- but petco.com in general. I purchased a product online and paid a premium to get it delivered the next business day... read the fine print... even though the next business day is Monday AND it was shipped on Sunday it really is two days. So.. even though Amazon and chewy.com but have fine print that matches expectations these guys don't. This company is well...so '90's. read more

I love the work of Nicole, Amanda, and all of the other groomers at Petco El Cerrito Plaza! I have been taking my Cocker Spaniel there for several years after another local grooming shop appeared to have burned his face while shaving him. :-(. Nicole and her team are attentive, gentle, and provide wonderful service to my Cocker Spaniel and to me! His grooming is always beautifully done, and if I ever need any touch-ups, Nicole is always glad to help. I highly recommend the grooming salon at Petco El Cerrito Plaza. They are very busy though! Call early. read more

I took my dog to the Petco groomer. A few of the other owners said they had received terrible cuts from this salon before, but seemed happy with Nicole. They scheduled four dogs at the same time, so I do not know who serviced my dog but I was told it was Nicole and I turned my dog over to her. The dog has choppy fur, a razor burned groin, a few bloody toe nails cut too short and a nipple was shaved off (the others had blood crusted around them)! Our dog was not the same after the visit for a few days. I am now aware to do a complete exam before I take my dog home. However, catching them after the harm has been done does not spare my dog. I am angry that they were so rough and harmed my dog. We will find somewhere else, like the new salon opening on Solano. read more

Really like the store on a whole, but I must say Norm is a great trainer. He helped me understand a lot and I learned tons too. I would definitely recommend his classes. read more

The product they are selling are messy and it is hard to know the price of the product as it is not at where it suppose to be.Service is pretty bad as some of them don't know much about the pet they are selling and you also seems to be unwelcome to shop there sometimes.Some food there have broken bags and they didn't remove it and just sell them as normal. read more

giving this store 5 stars because No trouble finding products & price match are done so easy here,This store may not be the biggest like some others, but sure is the friendliest I had experienced. read more

I took my dog into the Petco store at El Cerrito Plaza to have his nail clipped and left with a lot of unwanted "pets." My dog came away with a really bad case of fleas!! It's very clear that they don't separate infested animals from those that are not. I has been 3 weeks since the the nail trim and I'm still trying to get rid of the fleas in my apartment. I'll never go to this Petco again for any type of grooming service. I may stay away from Petco in general. What a nightmare! read more

Didn't know were to take my dog at first because I'm a over protective parent but this is my first dog and Tierra is so sweet !! She works hard and she is very patient .She took her time with my husky who was a little scared but she did a amazing job and he smelled so good it's been about 1 month in half and he still smells so good even after all the dog park visits .Will recommend her to everyone ! ;) read more

I was surprised to realize I hadn't reviewed this store. I mostly avoid national chains in favor of smaller independent stores, but I've bought a couple of cat carriers here and assorted treats for Genie over the years. Last year I bought a scoop for Trillium's dry food. I've not bought animals here, nor have I used their grooming services. When they first opened they used to use both the north and south doors, but now the south doors are locked, presumably because it was too difficult to monitor both ends of the store. I came here last week because I know they carried the dog food that Jordin was raised on. Alan bought a bag here before we got her and we've used it up. I entered the store and was greeted by the friendly young woman at the cash register and directed to where I would find the dog food. When she rang up the food she gave me a bag of dog cookies for Jordin, who was in the car. Service was very nice. Because I prefer to support independents I will buy the next bag from PetVet, which also carries it. read more

This review is for Petco's grooming salon, and it's many years overdue. My two dogs have been regulars at Petco Albany for at least five years. I've tried taking them other places; spending less at PetSmart and spending more at mom-and-pops. Hands down, Petco has always provided me with the best service. All the groomers, but most especially Nicolle, are always very friendly. They remember my dogs by name, ask about my family and make lots of nice small talk like I would with my personal friends. They are so friendly with the animals that come in, and I never see them stressed or upset with the fussy ones (by the way - my dogs are super fussy). The salon is always clean and smells better than most of the other grooming salons I've been to. Drop off and pick up are a breeze, with flexible pick-up hours for people who are busy during the day. My dogs always come back neatly groomed and happy. Thank you Petco! I know we will be customers here for a long time. read more

The 1 star is for the grooming dept only! The store carries decent dog food and toys at good prices. As for the grooming dept I will never go back there again! They do not do a careful job at all unless your dog just stands there with no reaction to anything they do. I've taken 2 dogs in for grooming more than once for each. The older dog, a small poodle, seemed fine when we picked him up, but within a day small nicks appeared all over his face and stomach! We think it's razor burn from the clippers they used. We took him back after he had grown out for several weeks and asked them to be gentle because of our previous experience. When we picked him up again he seemed fine, but the nicks appeared again. We went back in to show them and they said he was difficult because he was so skittish, but they loved him and will gladly groom him again! WE didn't go back. Our young Bichon puppy we took in because they had convenient hours and were available the next day. We thought the puppy wouldn't be too much for them to handle, she just needed an all over simple puppy cut, nothing elaborate or close to the skin. They said I could come in early so she would be the only one there while being groomed. Well, they just really botched it! She wasn't the only one there, and they hadn't followed my instructions for the cut and I had even left them a picture! They complained when I picked her up that she didn't like the clippers so they had to use scissors! This was her first cut, of course she was scared of the clippers, I never thought they would try to use clippers on a tiny 4.5 lb puppy! The person I gave the picture to forgot to give it to the groomer who did the cut on our dog and she was uneven all over, we took her home and my children tidied her up so she didn't look like her hair had been chopped off in big clumps. We gave the groomers another chance and the second time we went in with the puppy, now about 6 lbs, the shape of the cut on her head was squared off all around, her torso hair was short, her legs hit and miss, and they had cut all her tail hair off! My Bichon's puppy's signature tail that was just starting to take shape now looked like a rat tail! What were they thinking! I should have refused to pay, but I did and have not gone back. I go to a great stand-alone grooming business now in the same neighborhood as Petco, and guess what? -- The cost is exactly the same with things included as standard that Petco charges extra for! AND, they do a great job every time. I always thought I was saving money by going to Petco for grooming, but that just isn't true, if I got everything the stand-alone groomer does then I would end up paying more at Petco! MORE! No Way is it worth that, even if it wasn't horrible! I'm not sure what the problem is with the Petco groomers, maybe it's inexperience, but it also seems to be a lack of professional support in the work place. Sometimes there's just one person there and I've never seen more than 3 groomers there at the same time. They get lots of animals, maybe they need more help and a bigger facility. Maybe it's the design of the work area. Lots of animals are easily distracted by people walking past windows, and in this store there are windows that allow everyone entering the store to see in at the dogs being groomed. At home my dogs bark when people walk past our house and they go nuts when someone comes up on our porch. The location of the grooming dept in the store must make it very stressful for the dogs and the groomers! read more

if possible i will not give them not even 1 star and this is for the grooming people they charged me close to $80 and took more than 5 hrs and didnt give my dog the cut i asked for because they said he moved they left his hair super ugly never again will i go there also heard them talking about spanking one of the dogs because he wouldnt stay still unprofessional and the groomers look ratchet please dont take your dogs there! read more

Today they lost me as a customer. My dog was dropped off at 10am. She said four hours and to come back at 2. I arrived at 2;10. She says "oh I'm so sorry I was going to call you- he was acting really bad with the blow dryer and he isn't done". I said "oh that's odd, so how long" "well we still have to give him the haircut" she states. WHAT! My dog got washed. Sat in a kennel with a blow dryer on him for 4 hours and still no haircut. No call. No care. He was terrified when I picked him up. Took him home and he was shaking and was barely walking around to us. He is a usually extra perky 2 year old. She proceeded to make more excuses sorry, "we had this other dog too" and so on and so forth. My poor dog. Never again will I go there. I'm so disappointed and feel so bad that he had to go through that torture. Even if he was being naughty about a dryer- which seems impossible considering it's a kennel with a hose attached- they are trapped and have nothing they can do but sit there, she should have cared enough to call and pay attention to him. It was obvious he was neglected for 4 hours. Awful. read more

worst customer service ever. i went here looking for a new dog house for my dog. i saw a cute wooden dog house at the very top shelf of the store. i asked a sales associate if we have to assemble the house, or does it already come like that? she told me it comes already built. i asked her if she can bring it down so we can take a look at it. she came back and told me that her manager said that they can only bring the dog house down if we purchase it. does that make any sense? why would i tell her i'm going to buy it with out taking a good look at it? i told the sales associate, are you serious? i told her it was fine, society is very lazy, and they have better customer service at petsmart anyways. read more

The staff knows nothing about anything! They let me hold the guinea pig I was interested in getting to come up to me five minutes later to inform me I could not purchase it because it had been sick for the last few days. Poor animals! read more

This place SUCKS. It killed my first guinea pig Herbie. First off they sold me a 3 week old guinea pig that was too young. It had a broken leg but told me it was still learning how to walk. Then at home it got sick within 3 days!!!!!!! AND CRIED! I took it back saying I wanted him still and will re buy him. They claimed that their vets were the best and will give him antibiotics and sell him back to me. WHAT A LIE! They did not take care of him but killed him instead. I guess they didn't want to pay for his leg either. Since this was my first pig I did not know enough. If i would have taken him to my own vet...he would still be alive today. I bought a Betta fish about 4 months ago hoping that this would be better....but yet again it died. I am usually good at keeping pets alive since i have another fish from PET SMART, 2 dogs, 5 snakes, and more. So obviously its not my fault. I refuse to go back. I only shop at pet smart forever more. read more

I've reluctantly shopped here since it opened, in spite of it being a huge uncaring corporate behemoth with no knowledgeable staff, for the deals on cat food and litter using my PALS card... I recently however made the mistake of actually buying a pet here. Chalk it up to a desperate dad trying to please an impatient 5 year old. Thanks Petco for prematurely teaching my daughter a lesson in life and death, by selling me a sick hamster; I brought it home on Monday and it was dead when we got home on Friday. (I should have listened to my gut; when they didn't have a golden one, they went to check "overstock" in the back and got it from there) I called and was told I would be refunded, but was scolded for holding it, in an apparent attempt to blame me for the death, citing their instructions to leave it alone for a week (I received no instruction whatsoever, holding or otherwise). I was almost disappointed at the ease with which I obtained the actual refund (no insistence that I return the carcass as in an earlier review) as I was prepared to tell them how horrible this experience was for my daughter, and that the last thing I needed while consoling her was to be scolded for not following instructions that I never received. I had actually bought the cage and accessories from PetSmart and, while I don't know if I would buy a hamster from them either (another corporate behemoth) after this, they did allow me to return the $42 cage, so they'll get my return business. We ended up adopting an adult hamster from North Star Rescue northstarrescue.org at the Bay Area Pet Fair, who threw in a cage since the new hamster is too big for the tube cage I had. They were very knowledgeable, and quarantine for 2 weeks to ensure the health of adoptable pets. read more

1 star coz that one old douche bag (probably the manager) sucks ass... he got mad coz I had my phone on camera mode... where in the whole damn store does it say you can't take a picture of the animals? what's taking a picture of a hamster going to do?? lol that guy needs a chill pill! he didn't have to be rude about it.. he could've asked me politely! other than that, vaccination/clinic days are good. the Vet was awesome and very friendly.. so were her assistants :) read more

i walked in the other day and the manager was already with a long face, the when i asked a question he got really mad at me and refused to help me. never coming back. read more

This review is about the grooming. I have brought my large furry dog in a few times over the months. Each time the staff insisted on shaving the dog's matted underside and legs after a bath rather than doing a comb-out or at least a clip. Because this is winter, I asked they not do a shave this time. They apparently ignored my request, and when I came back several hours later the dog looked awful. I understand that clipping or combing is a lot of work. But the store is now charging prices approaching a real dog grooming salon. I will not be returning! FYI, I just read a 5-year old review on Yelp making the same complaint, so this is a common problem here. read more

We used to take our dog to Lena's in Oakland. We believe that Lena and her crew are very skilled groomers. However, after the better part of a day spent there, our dog would make a dash for the water bowl and drink for 20 or 30 seconds straight. Obviously, we inferred, she is being deprived of water whilst there to save potential pee cleanups. So, we decided to give Petco (El Cerrito) a go. Our first question was about water. Well, you would expect them to say "Of course, they always have water available," right? Apparently, they don't. Please, anyone have recommendations for a loving dog-centered grooming service? read more

I'm reviewing the dog training aspect of this Petco. My little dog was adopted from an animal shelter and definitely had issues. Chris and Kim gave him one-to-one time and attention for several weeks. What a deal. Two animal lovers who knew dog behavior. We then progressed to a great dog "play group". A bunch of dogs in a special area all getting along with a trainer to supervise. How cool is that? What a great experience for my dogs. read more

I've boughten hamsters, fishes, and parrots from here. All have died after taking them home for about 2 days or less. I guess it's just my luck. Love their 15 day return policy. They always have what I need. Been conning here for quite a few years. Other than pets dying and not having service right away everything is fine so 4 stars. read more

Well I like them better than Pet Smart!!! That for sure. The people who work there are helpful in so many ways.Veronica is great. She work as a cashier and I think she only been there for two weeks and knows a lot of information. I was mad at another customer in the store because she was very rude with her because she didn't know about a particular dog food that she was interested in buying. I stood there watch as Veronica called over the intercom for someone to help her. She evening tried to help the lady. Then once I was in line buying my dogs some food when this lady came in trying to work the employee by saying since the item was damage could she get it for 75 Cents? C'mon lady do you think? She was buying a damn t-shirt for her dog the had plenty of the same t-shirt that wasn't damage I guess she was too cheap to pay full price for it. She ended holding the damn line up once she finale got up to pay for he stuff ; by saying she was suppose to get a bigger discount than that with the cashier. Then she busted out crying saying that wasn't right as she looked onto the screen and assume she was being overcharge once the cashier explain what was going on she quickly snap back to acting like an adult and not some six year old child. I praise the people who work in retail cause it is not easy. Especially when your work with people who thinks that your suppose to satisfied their every need when it come down to them buy something from you. I feel for Veronica I couldn't take it read more

I have been going to this Petco for 7 years and I have always received excellent service. My daughter ALWAYS wants to look at all the animals in the store, and we have NEVER seen dead fish floating in any of the tanks, so I am not sure what it means that it is a "common occurrence". We have never used the grooming service, and given the reviews I've read I would be wary to do so. Some of those stories sound horrendous and the manager deserves to be reported for not dealing with them. However, the employees in the main store are always polite and make a great effort to be as helpful as possible. If they do not know the answer to a question, they find someone who does, rather than just making something up (which seems to be the more usual approach these days). If I had to make one complaint, it would be to be asked to donate to an animal shelter every time I make a purchase. ;-) read more

Norm, the dog trainer, is the best. He is very knowledgable, super patient with you and your dog, and makes class fun. I've been to other training classes that have a minimum of 4 dogs and up to 8, and you end up getting minimum attention from the trainer. No so with Norm. We got one on one attention. Both of my dogs "get it" with Norm's instruction. He clearly loves dogs and what he does. I won't go to anyone else for dog training. read more

In December my dog needed a nail trim. I checked the Petco web site for the grooming hours for that day and it showed they were currently open. I walked my 15 year old dog there only to discover the grooming salon was closed for renovations. I emailed and complained that the web site showed they were open when they were closed for renovations and the employees had no information about when it would reopen. I took my dog to her vet instead. In January I took her back to Petco for a nail trim only to have a grooming employee tell me the manager had entered a note on my dog's record saying she was too old for them to provide nail trims and I needed to go elsewhere. Interesting how I complained to the corporate office about their lack of accurate information on the web site only to then be shut-out, obviously by a manager who was pissed I complained to corp. We've been going to that same Petco since we moved her 7 years ago and no concerns about my dog's age had ever been voiced previously. Nor have I ever heard that they have a policy regarding the age of dogs. Seems like a situation where if you're a whistle-blower you end up being the one punished. Very unprofessional on their part! read more

I would Like to say its about time they have incorparated pet training into the store in El Cerrito store The trainer Norm was a very experienced and knowledge trainer my Macey was wreck until i finished the six week course the price was the least expensive in the area for which i had my doubts but now i couldn't be happier read more

The 5 stars are strictly for one person. Ms. Tierra, every single time I've come into that gromming salon I am always greeted with a smile and her naturally cheerful attitude. She answers all of my questions in detail and never seems bothered by the amount I have. My dog is a poodle who likes to play outside and after she got done with him. He was so clean he looked like a different dog. I can't say too much about the other people in there, but Tierra is their Ace employee. Anybody that goes to this petco I reccomend her. read more

Petco's dog trainer, Norm, is awesome. I took my terrier to another trainer in the area that came recommended but was not happy with the trainer or results. Someone else then recommended Norm at EC Petco. What a difference! He has many years experience, is friendly, and GREAT with all the dogs in the class. Even though there were several dogs in the class Norm managed to give eveyone the attention they needed while keeping all the dogs in check. There was only one thing that bothered me and a few of the other pet owners in the class. Class was interrupted now and then by someone calling out for Norm to assist in another area in the store. Hey, we are in a class here! Other than that, Norm was great. You won't be disappointed, guaranteed. read more

One of my items at Petco a stuffed animal in a bin that had stuffed animals all of them less than five dollars was not priced. I asked the lady at the register for a price check she went to go ask her manager they took a long time; there's no one else working another register for me to just pay without including the stuffed animal. I went up to where they were and rather than them embracing the fact that I came up they continued with their conversation talking about previous employees I believe Neil previous manager and some other people as I approached rather than stopping their conversation they shut the door. I continue to wait to be rung up and when they came out the lady at the register said that the price would be $1.20. She puts in the SKU it comes up 12.99. The manager retracts and says it's 12.99. Poor service all the way around from me waiting while they finish their personal conversation to their not honoring the price that they had verbally quoted me after looking it up on their computer. I give two stars because they had what I'm looking for however I didn't purchase the items as I didn't feel they were worthy of my business. read more

my main gripe about this place is this: i bought my husband a fish tank and a $100 gift card to go with it. i asked the salesperson about the return policy. she assured me that i could return the items within 30 days with a receipt. my husband decided against having fish to care for so i returned the tank and wanted to return the $100 gift card. . NOPE! they don't return gift cards even though i was told that i could with a receipt! now i have a $100 gift card that i will most likely never spend. no one seemed that interested in contacting a manager at headquarters to help. very frustrating. read more

My daughter and I visited this Petco in the El Cerrito Plaza. We had no problem finding what we needed. We also looked around the store. We bought some fish supplies and some feeder fish for my daughter's turtle. This is when we noticed that there were a significant amount of feeder fish that were dead or on their last leg. They were (the goldfish) were actually eating, nibbling on the dead ones. I brought this to the attention one of the workers, she actually told me that they just got a shipment of feeders and they put salt in tank so the fish are just giving the appearance that they are dead and they will perk up in a minute. Well I say bullsh _t there are dead fish in this tank. So then she proceeded to tell us that the girl in charge of that area was on break. She finally said that she would get the dead ones out. Whether or not she did I don't know. It's just bad business to have dead animals in a pet shop feeders or not. The two ladies that were on the floor that day were friendly. read more