Petland Discounts’ Long Island City location at 34-60 48th St. will close along with all New York locations. (Google Maps)
Jan. 31, 2019 By Nathaly Pesantez
Petland Discounts will be shutting down operations across New York stores, including a handful of locations in Queens, according to state filings.
The company will be closing 70 locations in the five boroughs, Nassau and Westchester, and is laying off the 367 employees that staffed the sites in coming months, according to a Jan. 18 filing with the state Department of Labor.
Petland Discounts Inc. anticipates closing all of the listed stores by April 18, with all employees to be laid off by then. It is unclear if the affected locations represent all the stores in the state.
Reports add that the company, founded in 1965, is also closing stores in New Jersey and Connecticut based on filings with respective states’ labor departments.
It is unclear why the retail pet store chain is closing, although the company indicated financial reasons in its state filing.
The closures come two weeks after Neil Padron, the Queens-based founder of the chain, died of bladder cancer on Jan. 14. He was 74.
Amy Eisenberg, his daughter, indicated that the family is still working out what to do in light of his death.
“He was the sole proprietor,” Eisenberg told Newsday. “We are trying to figure everything out.”
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54 Comments
Honestly family or not but most of the petlands I entered smelled very bad, the workers were very young and rude and I never knew who was the manager and it kinda was a free for all. The one on 170 bet Jerome ave and the concourse was very ghetto. The sad part is that you don’t know if a store is a franchise or coorporate and they def act differently. It was hard to get use to and I do miss getting things if I didn’t order on time online but they were ran down and look like they was closing and honestly I didn’t see any real discounts. Shit was crazy expensive as if it was Pet Smart and actually they are less expensive for quite a few items.
Good riddance! Nice that they’re closing. They use animals from puppy mills for their profit!
Very sad to hear the news. The family is the best. They kept his dream alive till the end. Even though it was losing money, out of respect for him, he died with his dream thanks to the wonderful people in his life. Not many people have that in there lives. That is what love is. God Bless them. I am truly sorry it closed. I believe I shopped at the very first store on union tpk. I went there for decades and my son as well. My fish are still alive a year later. Greatly missed. Store and him.
Very saddened to hear of the founders death. Petland Discount was a one stop where the staff were knowledgeable about anything pet and accessory related. The stores will be missed in NY
My condolences to the family. I’m not being heartless. But, closing all the doors to petland is not going to solve ur financial crisis. Leave a few open. Gosh, what tooo do now. Omg, where can I get rats for my granddaughter’s pet snake. Petland was the only one I know of … i’m so sadden for the news of Mr. Neil Pardon .. to his family keep His legacy alive.
You can find other stores and purchase rats online.. but i cant get fish for my turtles online.. ugh i guess imma have to travel miles to pet co
You can buy fish online
I have a feeling most petlands left behind pets to starve and I bet they will lied they should be investigated
I was wondering the same thing. Most locations that closed down here in the Bronx still have all the merchandise inside. I wonder what happened to all the animals they used to sale. Parrots. birds, fish , rabbits etc
I was thinking the same thing. I want to adopt a yellow belly turtle.
The one near my house shut in May. All the merchandise is sin the store and lights are on. I try my hardest to look in to see if the fish were still in there but the cages are blocked. I feel that was done like that on purpose
All of the live animals in their hell’s kitchen location were removed when they closed
My deepest condolences to the family.
I am so sad to see these stores closed . Hopefully they will reopen
Just order you pet stuff from chewy they are way cheaper then Petland anyways
This is true and so important when money is really tight. However we have a few smaller animals and tried to shop at Petland as much as we could to support our local businesses. Still sad to see it close since I’ve been shopping there since I was little
My condolences to the family and I hope that they can come up with a decision in keeping the business going knowing that there are many customers that would hate to see the company close its doors, and to keep a pet business that so many love for so many years go out would be devastating to all!
I’m so upset!! I love that store!! I didn’t even know. I ran around looking for one after the one in my neighborhood close. To fine out all had closed. I just found out today!! Petco is nothing like Petland and you develop a friend ship with the workers.
I personally would want to make ny fathers lifelong endeavor live on past his death. Create a family legacy. I will miss petlamd discounts. It’s the only place I went for cat stuff.
Keep petland open for his sake that the number one store for me since I was little please reopen don’t close
I am sad that pet land has closed. It was a very convenient and beautiful store. You could have find mostly everything you wanted to buy for your pet in that store. As well as the staff in the bronx in crescent location was very nice people. They were very knowledgeable about the products they sell as well as knowing things about pets.
First of all, in case the Padron family is reading these post I would like to give them my condolences for the loss they suffered.
Secondly, I too was sad and shocked to learn that my Perland store in my neighborhood in the Bronx is closing. I’ve had 3 dogs over ther years and the store has made life with a dog a walk in the park, from the staff and the knowledge, dedication, care of your pets as well as the fact that they know everyone’s dogs name, the products, prices and the vets.
Third, death brings out the worst in people. People fight over money and possessions and forget the purpose of why the business was a plus to the community the serve. I understand that they are closing the stores due to financial issues but once they close them they will have no steady income coming in. Who knows maybe the operating cost is too high but Mr. Padron worked hard and would find a way if still here to keep the chain going or close some of the stores and not all
Padron family, please your decision is your decision but my wish is that you have looked at every option because frankly this news is tearing the hearts of people and pets that your community serve to bits.
Thanks,
Yolanda Benjamin
It is a shame to see this company leave like this. but the same way they had all there emploees invest in there wherhouse, they cold have done the same. to keep it going. you see, I worked at petland discout in the late 70`s and they took half of a pay check of all the emploees hard erned money and inveted in a new wherhouse. theire was nothing we cold say. they wold`nt take a no for an ansure. they told me to considder my self an invester of petland discounts. now my question will be, if it go`s out of buisines. how do we claim our cut ?
I’m so upset!! I love that store!! I didn’t even know. I ran around looking for one after the one in my neighborhood close. To fine out all had closed. I just found out today!! Petco is nothing like Petland and you develop a friend ship with the workers.
Shop local. There are 3 pet stores in our area. People cry when large chains move in and mom and pops close and then they cry when large chains close. Basically people in this neighborhood just want to complain.
We love the Petland at the 21st St and Broadway location. The senior staff is very competent and provides great customer service. It’s always reassuring to know you can trust employees to guide and help you with pet issues. I will miss Petland, but I will greatly miss the quality employees who have made this a special place especially Veronica, Thomas and Ralph.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TRADER JOE’S!!!!!!!!!!
Yes indeed
Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?
This really should be the location of the middle school. So much space. They would have room for a larger facilty, and outdoor space for athletics. Seems like a no-brainer. The current proposal shoehorns the school into a residential area with no room for the congestion.
WHOLE FOODS!
Even better than traders Joe
Petsmart and Petco are closely watching
at least more pets are safer and not being mistreated i’ve seen pets being mistreated and being killed because of lazy workers didn’t want to pick up the fish so he steps on it and don’t know to handle other pets as well and having cat and dog surgeries being done in a basement this was happing in the sunset park brooklyn nyc petland store i’ve witness manager and workers were fooling around and not care the place was dirty as well
Now I’ll have to have hamsters delivered by Amazon drones
Someone please tell the Board of Ed. that this area would be the perfect location for the new school and NOT Sunnyside Gardens. Please make it happen Board of Ed., thank you.
No more schools too many things going on
Sorry for the family as well. I wonder what they will do with all the animals; so. Sad. Plus all the workers will be laid off. Sorry to hear. By the way I did hear a Shop Rite is coming into National Liquidators.
It is a great thing that national liquidators is chosing down, it was rubbish place!
Three empty store fronts (2 very large ones) in the same shopping center. Sad. Here comes another giant condo.
For the love of god please write an original letter. Will trust fund babies be living in the Petland Condos? Will there be nail salons and Colombian restaurants and 99 cents stores on the first floor. Oh the humanity. Tell your mommy to help you with the next letter. I hear there are some empty stores on 43d Avenue. Condos anyone?
My son works for petland. The one on 48tth. He and all his co-workers were given notice of being laid off after the owner died. No one wants to buy the stores. It’s a shame.
Only a fool would buy a labor cost intensive business in NYC now.
Can he tell us what they did with all the animals?
First, I would like to send my condolences to the Padron family. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with him a few times and he was a good man.
I know that he cared about his stores and wanted them all to succeed. But sadly I believe his “corporate-management team” made decisions on his behalf that were clearly not in his best interest over the years.
I own a pet care service in Astoria and over the past 13 years I frequented the location in the LaGuardia shopping center off of Ditmars Boulevard. I know the employees there very well both past and present. My understanding is that this is one of the locations that will be closing. This is so sad because it could’ve been prevented.
This location never reached its full potential, not because of the lack of effort of the employees, but rather because the district manager(s) and corporate-management people in charge were unwilling to change with the times and bring in products that were popular with people in the neighborhood.
I was one of many pet parents who repeatedly made suggestions over the years for products that were very popular that if in stock would make pet parents happy because of the convenience of having the product(s) in their neighborhood pet store, and as a result would make a difference in sales. Each time a store manager or an employee would present these suggestions to a district manager and/or corporate person it would fall on deaf ears. Particularly this current district manager who is someone who cares about only her opinion and no one else’s especially if it came from the manager and employees of this location.
If over the years corporate-management people continued to ignore opportunities to raise the bar and increase sales and instead continuously ignored opportunities for growth then they alone are responsible for this sad ending.
I can only speak about this location, but I think it is a shame that good people who work so hard have to lose their jobs because the corporate-management people in charge didn’t do theirs.
I hope you plan on giving your hard-working employees severance pay as I’m sure you will your corporate people? They certainly deserve it.
Hopefully that area manager will lose her job as well
Soon all we will see on A neighborhood block will either be A bank or another drug store chain.
Your letter makes no sense. What about complaining about all the empty stores in Sunnyside. Maybe a drugstore or bank would be a good thing.
Talk to the BID El Loco. They had all the answers when they drove the price of real estate up with their stupid “Sunnyside is the new Williamsburg” campaign.
This is really sad. Why didn’t they sell the business? To lose all of these jobs and local businesses seems unnecessary.
@Gina: Unnecessary? Don’t you understand how business and free markets work? There’s a reason why the candle industry took a major hit when electricity was invented.
When people don’t support their local stores this is what will happen to their neighborhoods
It has nothing to do with that. Read the article before you comment. The owner died.
exactly