We all like to take our pets with us on outings. With pet ownership on the rise (one in three households now have either a dog or a cat or both) smart retailers are looking to cash in on this explosive trend.
Walmart is one of them. Starting in June, Walmart will begin allowing pets in all of its 11,527 stores worldwide. We think it’s about time, don’t you?!
Says senior vice president Richard B. Walton, “Pets are as American as apple pie. Everyone loves their pets, and we feel pets should not be excluded from shopping at Walmart. More and more retailers are allowing pets, and Walmart is committed to being pet-friendly.”
In fact, Walmart says it will even begin offering special pet shopping carts so that your dog or cat can shop in style. These special carts will come with comfortable pet-friendly memory foam pads, complimentary toys, and “no-spill” food and water bowls built right into the carts. After all, nobody likes shopping on an empty stomach, right?!
Walmart will begin implementing its new pet-friendly policies starting this summer. When asked why not start allowing pets sooner, Walmart’s VP Richard Walton responded, “We want to make sure our new pet customers feel welcomed at Walmart, so we need time to make improvements to our existing stores. This includes special pet shopping carts, pet restrooms, pet drinking fountains, and also pet daycare centers in select locations.”
Some customers have expressed health concerns to which Richard Walton responded, “A clean shopping environment is our top priority. Walmart will be implementing a fleet of robotic floor-cleaning “pooper scoopers” to address any… uhh…clean-up issues.”
And by now you may or may not have guessed: Happy April Fools! 🙂
