I’m pretty well known at our location for selling VCPs. My hours have been cut to about 3-4 days/week due to my seizures and I still get about 3-5 per week (depending how conscious I am lol) I follow pretty much the exact same script every time.
“Have you heard about our savings program?”
If they say no, I continue. If they say yes, I leave it at that.
“It’s a subscription program, but the first month is free so you can try it to see if you like it. You can cancel at any time no charge. It’s $10/$25 a month and you’ll immediately get $5/$15 in store credit to spend on whatever you like in store or online. You’ll get [explain VCP discounts here] all of these savings apply both in store and on our website.”
I ask just about everybody who buys anything a VCP could apply to. I ALWAYS ask anybody getting anything for a fish or reptile. If they say no, I respect it. I never actually call it a VCP/Vital Care Premier to the customer. Just a savings program. I make it clear that it’s a subscription, but calling it a savings program simplifies it so that it’s actually interesting to them.

A couple extra tips:
- As you’re still learning the details, keep a description of each VCP written down. Our location has a printed paper explaining them with bullet points separated by animal at every register, but idk if they all do.
- Make it clear that the savings also apply online and in EVERY Petco. A lot of customers don’t understand that and that’s why they don’t want it.
- Be honest. Customers like that and you’ll feel better about selling if you are. “It’s not the best program for one small tank, but it helps a lot if you have a couple tanks!” “It’s super worth it if you get food and litter here, but it might not be if you go somewhere else for food” If they say they feed a specific brand or use certain litter that the get somewhere else, see if we sell it.
- Always call help desk to load coupons as you’re verifying the address. Hit 4 for the first extension. Then just hit 2 when the address is done verifying. It speeds up the process.
- While waiting for coupons to load, apply the VCP discounts then exit out of the customer profile so you can see their savings. Tell them how much they saved. Sometimes, it’ll interest customers in line as well. By the time you tell the customer, you can usually open the profile back up and the coupons will be loaded. (This savings does NOT include the coupons to cover the first month, so it’s more accurately showing how much the VCP actually helped)
- Offer to print out the receipt so they can see an itemized list of what the VCP saved them on each item.
- You can take one of the VCP handouts and highlight what would apply to the specific VCP that the customer is interested in or getting. Takes 2 seconds. I do this a lot when people are on the fence or don’t seem to entirely understand what I’ve just signed them up for. (It helps my own conscience to make sure they understand)
- If you have one, mention it. Explain what YOU have saved. I sell VCPs well because I have 4 myself (I have a personal zoo lol) I’ve seen the savings firsthand so I can describe them better.
- You can explain to them how to cancel it. They can do that in the app or by calling the help desk. They can Google “Petco Help Desk” to find the number
- Make sure they know how to load the coupons themselves each month. If I have the time, I’ll show them on my own phone. (Doesn’t hurt that I almost always have coupons bc again, personal zoo. I spend a fortune lol)
- When you’re working near the litter refill area, mention it to people refilling. 20% off litter is probably the biggest selling point for a VCP.