Pet Retailers Across the U.S. Share Their Delivery Minimums and Fees

• Free delivery with no minimum within 8 miles (according to Google maps). — Jamie Parent, A Place for Fido, Duluth, MN
• Free local delivery for orders over $35, $9.95 for anything under. Local delivery consists of anything within our county lines. The advertising exposure is great, with our wrapped delivery vehicle being driven all over the county. If a customer lives outside county lines, free nationwide shipping over $49. — Ben Prakobkit, The Modern Paws, Tampa, FL
• We match Chewy: $49 or more, free delivery. We have approximately a 20-mile delivery radius. Orders below $49 are charged a $4.95 delivery fee. It’s been a game changer for us. Our in-store traffic and revenue have not diminished. We are giving people an opportunity to buy local and buy online. We have to meet customers where they are at, and that’s online for many. — Cameron Kelley, Kelley’s Pets, Fresno, CA
• We recently partnered with a local small business that does Instacart-type shopping and delivery. Before, $25 minimum; $5 within 15 miles, $7 if 16 to 20 miles. With him, it’s $7 for the same distances. Customers haven’t batted an eye. I think they like helping two local small businesses. — Theresa Sexton, For Healthy Pets in Wetumpka, AL
• $6.99 fee under $150 in a 10-mile radius. — Brian Sharp, Earth Pets, Gainesville, FL
• $9.95 delivery fee for anything under $59. We cover an over-12-mile radius (all of northern Virginia, heavily populated area). Three delivery days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday (mostly based on incoming deliveries). Average about 30 to 40 deliveries a week, currently use two to three drivers (including myself). 10% autoship discount, no limit (love beating Chewy at their own game). — Matthew O’Leary, Felix & Oscar, Springfield, VA
• Free delivery over $75. $4 fee between $50 and $75. $8 fee for orders under $50. Our radius is about 35 miles from our store. Three trucks on the road between four and seven hours each [Tuesday through Friday]. — Frank Frattini, The Hungry Puppy, Farmingdale, NJ
• Free delivery on orders over $100 within 10 miles or in the same Zip code. We also try to schedule all deliveries for Saturday mornings when my husband can do them because we don’t have enough staff. We had a lot of clients who wanted us to deliver $10 [worth] of chews, and that is just not worth it even with a delivery charge. That said, any client going through a health crisis, family crisis, or an elderly client having trouble getting around is a priority, and we make deliveries of any size. We’ve even gone grocery shopping for a few people when they needed it and built close relationships to support people in our community. — Leslie Cook, Woof Life Inc., Crown Point, IN
• I stopped free delivery a year ago. [Now] there is a $5 flat rate. I’ve been delivering since 2019 and not a single complaint or customer loss when the fee was added. Longest distance is an hour away, but those deliveries are done twice a month to all customers in the area. I used to deliver every day, now just Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and it’s working out great. — Amber Sutfin, Pet Wants South Hills, Pittsburgh, PA
• Free over $69, but we are looking to increase that. Take your average cart amount and go up over that. Maybe $10 or more over it to try to increase your average spend. With all the price increases, we are raising it so it’s not just a bag of food. Go for the bag … plus something. If it’s under the minimum, we charge various fees based on how far. $10/$15/$25, with $25 being the farthest. We have different routes by day so we typically do several deliveries each day. Local is daily. — Jennifer Larsen, Firehouse Pet Shop, Wenatchee, WA
• Free delivery within a 10-mile radius, with no minimum. As owners, we handle all deliveries ourselves, so we ask our customers to give us a day’s notice. (We will often deliver same day, though). — Diedra Giles, Reeses Barkery and Pawtique, McHenry, IL
• Free [delivery] on orders over $35, $5 for orders under that, but it rarely happens. We are in a city and only deliver to our three nearest Zip codes. — Becci Scott, Fetching Dog, Scottsdale, AZ
• Free local delivery with no minimum. We are [in] a smaller rural town, so distance isn’t really too big of deal, maybe 5 miles. We usually deliver on our way home after work. However, we only have maybe five per week. I also pay my employees $5 extra per delivery to help with gas and vehicle use … and, of course, they don’t clock out until their deliveries are completed. — Elaina Stanley, Three Happy Hounds, Fernley, NV
• $100 or more is free. Anything less is $5. Anywhere in our 2,100 square-mile county. The biggest county in Colorado. We sometimes go to Denver, too. I do all deliveries myself and deliver one day a week (Wednesdays). Will do a few throughout the week if they are close. — Bill Huffor, Furry Friends Inc., Colorado Springs, CO
• Free over $50, $5 under $50. We’re on an island, so our area is the island. — Melisa Wynn, Paws & Fins Pet Shop, Bainbridge Island, WA
• Free delivery within 10-mile radius with $49 minimum purchase. 11 to 20 miles is extra $5. We are owner operated and handle these deliveries ourselves, plus often do same-day delivery if they call before 9 a.m. — Denise Strong, Pawz on Main, Cottonwood, AZ
• Free delivery for orders of $85 or more. Otherwise it is an $8 delivery fee. For people ordering food, they get to the minimum pretty easily. I drive orders up to 7 miles from my store. People just love to be able to have their food delivered. However, when I opened my store almost two years ago I thought the demand for delivery was going to be much higher. Maybe it is the nature of my town. We are not used to delivery other than pizza and a few other services. — Alina McCue, Toiffer Pet Outfitter, Missoula, MT
• We’re lucky. A local guy who does our deliveries for $5 ($7 for longer distances in town). We just pass the cost on to the customers, and no one has complained at all. They’re just happy to get delivery. — Diana Farrar, Fifi & Fidos Pet Boutique, San Antonio, TX
• Free local delivery over $50. Anything less is a $5 fee. — Jamie Tucker, Fur Babies, Kingwood, TX
• $65 [minimum], and if below a $9.95 fee. We raised it from $50 once all the brands of food went up, as we were noticing people only ordering food. And as we all know, margins are low on food. So we bumped it up hoping people would add a treat or something to the order. I have been thinking of jumping to $75 minimum order, but that puts me way more than other stores so I have not stretched it. Other stores are $50 [minimum] around us. — Keith Zeiler, Paws on Chicon, Austin, TX

Editor’s note: All answers printed with permission, edited for clarity and length. Join the private PETS+ Facebook Community for retailers and service providers at http://facebook.com/groups/petsplusmagcommunity