Pet Menu – Our Background

PET MENU – WHO ARE WE ANYWAY?

As way of introduction, Pet Menu is an ACTUAL store in New York City founded in 1989 run by two regular guys (Abe and Aharon).  We are not a large impersonal corporation, but two friends who came together with shared love of and interest in animals.  We wanted to create an environment where other animal lovers would enjoy shopping and have access to advice and the products that they needed.  After 15 years of substantial growth, we both remain very active in the day to day operations.

OUR CUSTOMERS ARE THE REASON WE’RE HERE!

We have forged a very close relationship with our customers, and a number of them have been with us since we started.   We delight in adding shoppers to our active mailing list, and are always pleased when we learn that people have come to know about us through word of mouth. We appreciate our customer’s confidence and are glad that they know how committed we are to them.  We spend just as much time LISTENING to our customers as we do talking to them.  While we are inspired with many of our own ideas, we are proud to admit that many of the new products we bring to our store are borne out of suggestions from or the needs of our customers.

WE’RE ALWAYS LEARNING FROM BRUNO!

In addition to our customers, we have another “top secret” source that gives us unflinchingly honest opinions about our product offerings – our ten year old Bichon Frise, Bruno, who is better known in our local community than either of us will ever be!  Bruno has been with us since he was 10 weeks old.  Besides being an invaluable companion, we have learned volumes about pet nutrition and related topics through Bruno as he has traveled through his own life stages.

About a year ago, Bruno had the great misfortune of tearing the ligaments in both of his hind legs through his various leaps and jumps off of tables and counters.  Bruno was suffering and limping badly on a good day, and we of course took him to our regular vet.  Our vet felt we should give him some additional time to heal, but thought that in the end ligament replacement surgery would ultimately be his best option. 

We were loath to subject a 10 year old dog to double surgery and general anesthesia so we decided to consult with a holistic vet.  As many of you know, recently there has been a great shift in the pet industry towards treating animals using alternative therapies, including natural/holistic foods and supplements.  Certainly, we had been carrying a broad range of these products in addition to our regular product base, and were already feeding Bruno an all-natural diet.

The holistic vet placed Bruno on nutritional therapy consisting of Glucosamine, MSM, Condroitin Sulfate, Anti-Oxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Collagen along with two acupuncture treatments.  When Bruno began this regimen his hind legs were severely compromised.  He was dragging his legs behind him, was in a considerable amount of pain and in general was not himself.

After the first accupuncture treatment and about a month of taking supplements, the improvement in Bruno was quite dramatic.  He now, thankfully, has full use of his legs, is acting like a puppy again, and surgery is no longer necessary. As a result we have learned up close and personal about the importance of proper diet and nutritional supplements (nutricitals) which we are delighted to share with interested pet owners.

In addition, many of the products Bruno uses and gave his seal of approval to (be they leashes, pet dishes, vitamins, carriers, gates, crates, toys, sweaters, well you get the picture) are featured prominently on our shelves.  We and our customers have tested many of the products we carry.  When we tell you their benefits or advantages, we have experienced them first (or second) hand/paw.

WHY A WEBSITE?

Unfortunately, in 15 years, people are bound to move.  We keep in touch with a number of our former local customers, and they inevitably miss shopping at the store and the level of service and variety of innovative products that were at their fingertips.  After hearing this numerous times, we thought that starting a website would be an excellent way to reach out to old friends and connect with new animal lovers like us at the same time.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

We are large and small all at once.  Although seemingly an oxymoron, this is actually a very good thing for us and for you.

As a large independent retailer, we are able to buy our inventory in sizeable quantities and are therefore able to pass along our volume pricing to you.  This means you’ll enjoy our prices as much as you’ll enjoy our website, and who can’t benefit from saving money?!?!  You’ll also have access to specialized items that you most likely will not be able to find at your local store.

We’re small in that the two of us are incredibly involved and will respond DIRECTLY to your concerns.  If you can’t find something you are looking for, you can e-mail us your inquiry, and if the product is out there, we will try our best to find it for you.  If you have a suggestion or problem with an item or just simply need advice, we will respond to you ourselves.   You will not have an anonymous web master handling your issues.  Our business was built on personal relationships, and this website will be handled in the same manner.

As we have done with our own store, it is our expectation that we will learn from you and reflect your feedback on our website.  As interest in our site grows, we will be adding more new items, sales and specials and extended product lines.  Trust us when we say you’ll play a major role in our website expansion!

In closing, thank you for taking the time to learn about us.  We hope you have gotten to know us a little better and we look forward to welcoming you to our growing family of satisfied customers.

Very Truly Yours,

Abe & Aharon

Pet Menu

P.S. If you’re ever in New York, our retail location is at 191-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, New York 11358. Do drop in and say hi!

Reaching Pet Menu

You may call and speak to us (Abe or Aharon) at Pet Menu @ 718-939-4738 at the following ES times: Monday-Friday 9:30-8:30, Saturday 9:00-7:30 and Sunday 11:00-6:00.  If you don't reach us directly, please leave us a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.  You may also e-mail us anytime at info@pet-menu.com.  We check our e-mails daily. 

Shipping Time

Please allow 6-10 business days for all orders to reach your destination via UPS Ground service.  UPS 3 Days Select service takes up to 3 business days within the Continental United States.  USPS Priority Mail takes 2-3 business days to reach your shipping destination and is available to Hawaii and Alaska. All international orders are shipped through USPS Global.  We count day one as the time that your order leaves Pet Menu’s Flushing, New York distribution center.  All the items on the website are considered to be in stock.  We reserve the right to notify our customers through e-mail or by telephone if we are back-ordered on any items.

Payment Terms

We accept these major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. You can safely enter your credit card number via Yahoo! Store’s secure server, which encrypts all submitted information.

Sales Tax

All orders shipped to a New York address will be charged an 8.375% sales tax.

Return & Exchange Policy

Our return policy is straightforward.  If Pet Menu makes an error on your order, then we’ll gladly replace it.  If there is any manufacturer’s defect, then we’ll also replace it.  To return an item, just e-mail us with your order number.  We will then issue you a Return Authorization Number (RAN) that must be written on the original invoice.  Repack the goods and the original invoice in its original box.  We will e-mail you a return label that you can print out (If you do not have a printer, please e-mail us for different instructions).  Attach the label with clear heavy-duty tape and drop it off at any UPS shipping location.  Once we receive the returned item, we will promptly ship out a replacement. 

If you received your purchase as a gift and would like to return it, we’ll issue you a store credit towards your next visit to our site.  You will get a store credit ID number that is good for 45 days from the date of issue.

We offer a 30-day money back guarantee from the day you receive the goods less shipping charges if the order is not to your satisfaction.  You must e-mail us for a return authorization number (RAN). Be sure to write your RAN on the original invoice and place this inside the package.  Please be advised that you will need to pay for shipping & handling costs for any returns or exchanges.  Once we receive the goods, we will credit your credit card or send out the new item(s) to you.  The returned item(s) must be in perfect resellable condition.  We will reserve the right to inspect the returned item(s) for full credit.  Please note that “Clearance Stuff!” items are considered final – no returns, refunds or exchanges.

Send all returns to the following address: Pet Menu Returns, 191-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, New York 11358.

Pricing & Errors

Pet Menu reserves the right to update our pricing at any time.  Pet Menu will do its best to prevent errors, but reserves the right to correct typographical errors at any time.

Trademarks

All trademarks, service marks and trade names are proprietary to Pet Menu or respective owners that have granted Pet Menu the right and license to use such marks.

Privacy & Security

Our site is secured through Yahoo! Store.  Please read their policies regarding privacy laws.  We are committed to protecting your privacy.  We use the information we collect on our site to understand our customers better, provide an enjoyable shopping experience and process requested orders.  Be assured we do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to others.