Does anyone know how often Michaels changes their Safari Ltd Dinosaur catalogue?

[Gwangi]

S @Shane it is a bit bizarre, and unprecedented but I sure am happy for those guys who live near Petco and are in the same situation as me. But I am not sure why Petco of all places, they are a pet shop. I guess it is to "lure" children and their parents money while shopping for dog food or a gold fish.

I think it makes sense in that PetCo is in the business of selling pets (animals) and these are animal replicas. Maybe this will also offset some impulsive pet purchases that usually end badly for the animal involved.

[Stegotyranno420]

I guess. Maybe some people use it as decor for the aquariums or biospheres?

[thedeadlymoose]

I'm not going to lie, my first thought was the fact that my own pets have always absolutely loved to chew on dinosaur figurines, and Safari is no exception.

At least it's affordable to replace Safari figures that end up with more unsightly bite marks.

But I'm sure this isn't the primary aim of selling at Petco!

[Shane]

S @Shane it is a bit bizarre, and unprecedented but I sure am happy for those guys who live near Petco and are in the same situation as me. But I am not sure why Petco of all places, they are a pet shop. I guess it is to "lure" children and their parents money while shopping for dog food or a gold fish.

I wouldn't word it quite so insidiously, but the basic idea is there. It's just about expanding your offerings for multiple type of customers. Obviously the toys are not meant for pets to chew on, but lots of people shop for their pets and bring their children, and instead of making multiple stops at multiple stores, maybe a parent can grab a toy for their kid while at the pet store.

(Funnily enough, the opposite tends to happen to me...while I'm shopping somewhere like Target for action figures or something, I get lured in to the pet section to pick something up for my dog to play with as well.)

Also, while that pic shows lots of dragons and dinosaurs, don't forget Safari also makes figures of popular pet animals, including dog and cat breeds, as well as domestic and farm animals, and reptiles and fish and small mammals in the Incredible Creatures line (some of which you can see in that Twitter pic).

Some people like having a little figurine of their beloved pet. And pet owners are frequently animal lovers in general, who might be drawn to realistic animal figures.

So it's not totally out of nowhere, and I would just take it as a W that there's another decently sized venue to get Safari toys. (especially now that AC Moore is gone)

[Dusty Wren]

It's just about expanding your offerings for multiple type of customers. Obviously the toys are not meant for pets to chew on, but lots of people shop for their pets and bring their children, and instead of making multiple stops at multiple stores, maybe a parent can grab a toy for their kid while at the pet store.

This rings true to me. It seems like a lot of big chains are diversifying what they carry these days. Barnes and Noble has massively expanded their stock of stationary, toys, games, and collectible figures over the past few years, sometimes to the detriment of their book selection. (As a side note, I wish B&N had gone with Safari, Papo, or CollectA instead of Schleich as their toy animal provider.)   

Convenience is the most important factor to a lot of consumers, so it's good business to be the store where people can take care of multiple errands at the same time. 

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

As a kid I loved dinosaurs and I kept reptiles as pets so I probably would have seen some crossover there.

[Gwangi]

As a kid I loved dinosaurs and I kept reptiles as pets so I probably would have seen some crossover there.

Heck, as an adult I love dinosaurs and keep reptiles as pets. 

[Shane]

Heck, as an adult I love dinosaurs and keep reptiles as pets. 

Some folks keep dinosaurs as pets!

[Gwangi]

Heck, as an adult I love dinosaurs and keep reptiles as pets. 

Some folks keep dinosaurs as pets!

Indeed, I'm one of them!

[Stegotyranno420]

S @Shane does safari also sell to Petsmart?

[Shane]

S @Shane does safari also sell to Petsmart?

Not as far as I know.