Clyde's Feed & Animal Center — Local services in Town of Hamburg

I really love to support local business and this is my go-to place for raw dog food (Shout out to Doggone Raw for the excellent food!). The store is close to home and has an easy location to get in and out. Their pet selection is pretty good and they've got a nice spread of gardening supplies as well. There's even a friendly dog who roams the place on occasion, looking for a pat on the head and a "good boy." He's my favorite employee. Not that there's anything wrong with the rest of them most of the time. Most of the time, things are "okay." Not great, not awful; okay. The line moves fast enough. They have what I need. The person who checks me out at the cash register asks the standard questions.

The problem is, I have something to compare this to. Before buying our pet food from Clyde's, I used to get it from a place in Tonawanda where the people were over the top friendly and inquisitive. I get it; Clyde's can be super busy with a lot of people coming through. They don't focus on dog food and have a variety of customers with differing needs. I don't expect them to remember my name like Treats Unleashed always did.

Also at the previous place, they kept my credit card on file, which made it so much easier when trying to handle three ten-pound buckets of frozen raw dog food. Not having to pull my credit card out made it a ton easier. (I also get that it's probably a lot safer for me for them to NOT store my credit card on file.) They offered to carry it out for me because while I am pretty strong, it's super awkward to carry three of these thin-handled buckets to my car when I've got arms the length of a baby T-Rex.

For some dog food brands, customers get a discount. I don't know what those brands are or what the parameters are (tenth bag free? fifth bag free? $5 off two bags? No idea!). I do not get a discount for the food I buy and when I inquired about it, I was stared at like I had a third eye and told, "We don't do that." Treats Unleashed offered a discount for this brand and I don't know if it was a store policy or a brand policy, but I thought it was a fair question.

Our first visit to Clyde's when we moved to Hamburg was super-positive. Everyone was really friendly and knowledgeable. We got a lot of help from one of the employees when picking out a probiotic for our dog. I do see that same worker there from time to time, but she is usually not on the cash register when I am there.

I have seen a few newer workers (or people I hadn't ever run into before) on my last few visits, so maybe that has something to do with the less-friendly experiences. I overheard one worker tell a customer, "Please don't leave your things on the counter and walk away. We have grocery carts if you need them." Okay, that was helpful information, but there are nicer ways to say that and the tone was not friendly.

Like I said, though, they have what we need and there's never been a reason to NOT go, but I definitely see room for a little...

EDIT: I have added a star onto the review to take it from 3 to 4 after a response from the store. Had the situation been explained better to us in the moment, as to why we couldn't be sold all 48 of the bags that they had in stock, the review would have been 4 stars to begin with. In the moment, no explanation was given other than they they couldn't sell all of what they had to us.

INITIAL REVIEW:

A little over a week ago, I visited Clyde's with my girlfriend to pick up bedding for the horses that she had coming to the Silver Spur Horse Show at the Erie County Fairgrounds over Labor Day Weekend.

We needed 60 bags of bedding in total, but Clyde's only had 48 bags available, with plenty more sitting over at their other location in Lockport, set to be brought over to their Hamburg location the following day.

When we tried to purchase all 48 bags, the Manager stated that he would only sell us 36, stating that he couldn't sell out everything that they had. This isn't something that has ever been an issue before. If you have 48 bags on hand, and more are being delivered the following day, why you would refuse to sell all of them to a customer that had cash in hand...

I've always believed in supporting local businesses, and Clyde's Feed & Animal Center is no exception. Located in Hamburg and Lockport, NY, it's our go-to place for all our animal and garden needs. Family-owned and operated, Clyde's offers a fantastic range of products at prices that are hard to beat. Their selection of quality dog and cat foods from brands like Iams, Blue Buffalo, and Pro Plan is impressive, but what really sets them apart for us is their springtime selection of chickens. Each spring, we look forward to getting our new batch of chickens from them, adding life and joy to our home. Their commitment to the community, supporting local non-profits and 4-H chapters, only deepens our appreciation for what they do. The wide range of products, including holistic diets in their frozen food section, grooming supplies, toys, and more, ensures that we always find what we need. Plus, their active engagement with the community and support for local organizations really makes shopping there feel like contributing to our community's welfare. If you're ever in need of pet or garden supplies, I highly recommend checking...