Pet Eating You Out of House and Home? Head Over to Red Barn

With a trio of animals to feed, I have stopped in many pet stores in Southern California, and the Red Barn still tops the list for prices, quality and service.

This is actually a feed store with sustenance for elephants, horses, cows, rabbits and pigeons, as well as cats and dogs. My cats chow down on Nutra Nuggets, a 20-pound bag of which sells for $9.95.

Sadie, our 16-year-old golden lab, is thriving on a regular diet of Science Diet Senior mixed with Pedigree Cuts and Sauces. The Red Barn carries some pet foods that are sold at supermarkets, as well as others that pet stores don’t often stock. For a 40-pound bag of kibble for Sadie, the tab is $24. At the neighborhood chain pet store, it’s $26.95. A case of 24 13-ounce cans of Pedigree runs $11.95, about $5 less than the market price.

The formula here is not new--high volume and low markup. On many items, the prices reflect only a 10% increase over the wholesale cost. The employees actually know something about animals; when you ask a simple question, you don’t get a vacant stare. And you don’t have to wrestle that 40-pound bag of feed yourself. Just pull your car up to the barn and they load it for you.

Red Barn Feed & Saddlery, 18601 Oxnard St., Tarzana. (818) 345-2510. Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Weekend Supersales: Sharp shoppers will head to Dishes A La Carte on Saturday and Sunday, when a five-piece place setting of Nancy Calhoun’s “Practically Perfect”’ oven-proof Japanese porcelain in solid colors will go for $8.96 (first-quality retail $40). Also, the Fusions line that retails for $35 will be $7.26. Overruns of Americaware will be 50% to 70% off.

Sidewalk Sale at the Los Angeles store, 5650 W. Third St. (323) 938-6223. Other locations in Glendale and in Venice.

An expansion is going on at My Fair Lady (just up the street from the Red Barn), where they are knocking down walls and clearing out discounted merchandise.

Check out the “blowout room,” where the discounts are 60%.

A two-piece, cotton-Tencel David Dart ensemble that retails for $180 regularly sells here for $110, but now it’s down to $44.

My Fair Lady, 6000 Reseda Blvd, in the Alley in the Valley, Tarzana. (818) 881-1651.

There’s a grand opening sale at a new location of Computer Renaissance, where they buy, sell and trade used and new computer equipment. On Saturday, for one day only, they’re offering a free upgrade to 32 MB RAM or a 56K V.90 modem to the first 50 customers. Doors open at 10 a.m. Printers start at $39.99, and 56K modems start at $29.

Computer Renaissance, 16573 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 385-0440.