Best way to bulk order cans of wet cat food?

August 11, 2016 6:03 AM

Hello. I am interested in bulk ordering wet cans of cat food, and specifically Friskies brand pate flavors, and I am wondering if you all know the cheapest way to accomplish this.

At our local grocery store, the cans go for 50 cents a piece. This seems on par or cheaper than our local Petco, pet supply stores, etc., and similar to what I remember from living in other parts of the country. On Amazon, Target, the Friskies website, etc., buying the bulk packs (24 or 48 cans) seems to trim off only a dollar or so. I suppose it could be that the grocery store has a low profit margin on cat food, but they must be getting their product from somewhere, right? Ideally I am talking about ordering like hundreds of cans at a time to save money.

I'm familiar with Amazon's subscribe and save program, and happy to try it if that seems like the cheapest way. Thanks everyone!

posted by likeatoaster to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Costco sells a (48 can?) variety pack case of these flavors. I can't remember off the top of my head what it costs, but we are making a run to costco this weekend so I can check.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:31 AM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pet Food Direct has discounts if you set up autoship. They also have frequent sales; I've used those to stock up at a discount. I don't know that it is ALL that much cheaper than our local store but it's nice having it shipped. Worth checking out for your brand.
posted by john_snow at 6:33 AM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The big 13-ounce soup cans are often (but not always) a better deal, ounce for ounce. Have a few can lids on hand for leftovers.
posted by yeahlikethat at 7:03 AM on August 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I dont know the answer to your question, but it might be worth asking a local high-volume cat rescue organization, because chances are they order their food in bulk and need the best price possible. They may be willing to let you know their supplier?
posted by cgg at 7:37 AM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Chewy? I signed up mostly to take advantage of their generous new user discount but it seems like a good model and pricing is competitive.
posted by erebora at 7:45 AM on August 11, 2016 [6 favorites]

I use Wag.com, who offer discounts if you set up a recurring “AutoShip”.
posted by D.Billy at 7:47 AM on August 11, 2016

Yeah check Chewy.com they are really lovely in general. Autoship is great and has discounts etc.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2016

My aunt is able to order flats of products she uses directly from the local grocery store itself - she pays upfront and they add it to their order. You might want to try asking the store manager, or see if they have any hints.
posted by umwhat at 9:23 AM on August 11, 2016

Sconding wag and that the dog food size cans are a way better deal almost always. You're basically paying for the metal in the can. Just have to be willing to store in fridge and put lid on cat food tin.
posted by edbles at 1:31 PM on August 11, 2016

Another vote for Chewy. Super nice, reasonable, have what you need for <$.50/can. They send hand-written birthday cards too!
posted by danapiper at 4:06 PM on August 11, 2016

I too use Chewy. I've used Wag in the past, too. One is sometimes cheaper than the other, but they're basically the same.

(Chewy either gets massive extra points for the handwritten cards or loses points for the fact all their employees must have a quota of cards to write. It's the only way they could get it done.)
posted by hoyland at 4:36 PM on August 11, 2016

If you are interested at all in couponing, I've gotten Friskies canned food for as low as 35 cents/can through the use of coupons. You have to wait for the coupons to come around though.
posted by Toddles at 9:58 PM on August 11, 2016

Chewy.com has been doing a great job for us. The canned catfood from Amazon kept showing up badly packed with lots of dented and leaking cans. Chewy does a much better job of packing.
posted by oneear at 10:12 PM on August 11, 2016

The price at my costco for the 48 can pack of friskies is $21.49
posted by ArgentCorvid at 1:44 PM on August 14, 2016

So based on this thread I tried Chewy after a couple of really damaged shipments from Pet Food Direct, and I'm now a convert. Cheaper, much faster shipping, and much better packaged. Thanks for the recs!
posted by john_snow at 9:39 AM on October 13, 2016