It’s a Doggy Dog World Shopping Trip #ILoveMyk9 #CBias

Awww, come-on mom, can't we take him with us?

Pork-chop gets almost as excited about our shopping trips as the kids do; with visions of car windows rolled down and a tongue flapping in the wind, oh the freedom that could be had!  This car ride is not one for a dog of this size, especially with a cute little kitty such as Baby Girl in tow.  We’re on a mission this day to our local Walmart to gather together some of our favorite dog treats and accessories, a little holiday gift basket for one special puppy in mind.  Pork-chop will have to stay home this time but not to worry, we always bring him home a special treat, or six; Pork-chop is a bit spoiled.  

My little Shopping Helper's

After a little pitstop for a bite to eat at the restaurant located in our local Walmart, we moseyed on our way.  Miss Priss had spent time writing up a shopping list during her breakfast that morning; she enjoys organizing our shopping trips to avoid any forgotten items or wasted time.  Admittedly I often get sidetracked with sales along the way.  I meant to go straight to the grocery aisle but veered off when I see a flashing sign like this.

Oh yeah, that's the way I like to shop....start the car!

Okay, sort of a flashing sign; either way this little 50% off tag caught my eye all over the Christmas decorations section.  These sparkly Noel tree ornaments would look fabulous on my tree…next year.  How can Hubs be annoyed when I’m saving us a ton of cash, right?

Ah ha; just what I came for!

Upon wheeling the cart into the middle aisle, I came upon this fantastic sale on MilkBone® Gravy Bone dog treats.  Possibly a little big for the gift basket I was planning.  Moving on.

Great MilkBone® product selection

The MilkBone® product selection was fairly impressive in the dog pet food aisle; it had by far the largest selection to choose from on the shelves when compared to other brands.

Pup-Peroni dog treats selection was sparse

I found the Pup-Peroni product selection to be very small, a little more expensive in comparable packages and barely visible; this brand could easily be passed over by the placement on the bottom shelf alone.  After searching for what seemed like 20 minutes or more and through all the other brands for Milo’s Kitchen dog treats, I asked a store worker who happened to be in the area where I could find this brand and was disappointed to learn that Milo’s Kitchen products were not available at my Walmart location.

Things I consider when choosing a brand:

1. Placement on the shelves or displays.  If brands are on the lower shelves and do not have a larger selection to spill over onto the upper shelves; I will likely pass them over.

2. Cost. If the brand has a special promotion price or display, chances are better I will buy.

3.  Packaging. If the the brand packages their product well or label the packages with easy to read nutitional information, I tend to lean towards these brands.

Difference in packaging

I found both the MilkBone® and Pup-Peroni packaging to be brightly colored in red but on similar products, the Pup-Peroni labeled their package with white lettering with an easier to read nutritional list layout.  On the MilkBone® Chew-lotta bones I purchased for Pork-chop waiting at home, I found the labeling to be small but the color of print to be easier to read than the other products.  The selection of MilkBone® products was much greater at this Walmart than the other brands which convinced me to purchase more of this brand than the others in order to make up for the missing brand.

Miss Priss could not hold it together when she found these in the stash of dog toys.  I can’t say I blame her.

Not a bad puppy gift basket so far.

We decided on: Pup-Peroni Lean Beef flavor dog snacks, MilkBone® Original Dog Treats, MilkBone® Soft and Chewy treats in Beef Steak flavor, MilkBone® Chew-lotta dog snacks, a Nylabone toy, a green dog squeaky toy, a dog food dish, a leash and collar and a tupperware bin to carry all of it, great for storing puppy food.

Nom, Nom; Nom!

But wait, I heard this Butterscotch Ripple ice cream calling my name as we passed the frozen foods section on the way to check out.  How could I not?!  The checkout cashier was very friendly; I was surprised at how quickly we made it through, paid for our goods and were on our way out the door considering how busy the store was with their boxing week blowout sales going on; the store was packed full of people.  They were prepared for it.

Pork-chop was a little spoiled too

We followed through with our promise to bring Pork-chop home some treats.  Being an extra-large breed dog, we purchased the large breed dog treats and a Nylabone to help clean his pearly whites; he replied with a slobbery grin.  I went a little overboard with the treats but we think he deserves it.  Now what special puppy will receive our special puppy gift basket…to be continued!

For the rest of our shopping trip, and funnies, take a look through my Google+ Photo Album HERE

** Be sure to check out your local newspaper the week of January 11th for a money saving coupon on Milk-Bone® Dog Treats. **

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias; all opinions are my own. #CBias