Editor’s Note: Our May-June Issue Comes Packed With Tips for Getting the Win-Win

WHEN A DEAL has a winner and a loser, odds are the loser will opt not to do business with the winner again. And that turns the winner into a loser, too, in the long run.

In our Big Story: Let’s Make a Deal (p. 42), we hear from business thought leaders, researchers and pet industry pros who all recommend taking a win-win approach to negotiating. It results in lasting relationships, whether with vendors, employees or customers. Pet Boss Nation’s Candace D’Agnolo agrees, and she provides excellent advice on how to ensure mutually beneficial agreements between retailers and vendors in her column (p. 52).

Here at PETS+, we practice what this issue preaches. Many members of the PETS+ Brain Squad — our 1,500-strong reader panel of independent pet retailers and service providers — have been with us since we launched in 2017. They love not only being featured in the magazine, but also being part of the tight-knit and supportive community we have created together. And brands who put products in the PETS+ Sample Box return to book another box and another because the program delivers a win-win each time. Actually, make that a win-win-win — for the brands, recipients and us!

One more winning “deal” in this issue to point out: the reactive dog shopping experience at Spoiled Bitch Dog Boutique featured in Best of the Best (p. 41). As the person to a pup with fear reactivity (see Ty above), well managed thanks to trainer Matt Bryant, I can’t get through one of the store’s videos without tearing up. Thanks to this service, the dogs and their people experience the joy of shopping in a pet store, business owner Cait Cassagne finds fulfillment and builds awareness of her brand, and the world gets to watch it all happen on TikTok. That’s another win-win-win.