Key takeaways
- UAE: show prices including 5% VAT and put your TRN on receipts.
- Pakistan: quote plus applicable sales tax and confirm rates with your accountant.
- Both: WhatsApp is the shop window — run repeat orders from the customer profile.
- Imported food arrives with less shelf life — record lots and dates at receiving.
The UAE and Pakistan are very different markets, but pet shops in Dubai and Karachi share more than you might think: imported food, a huge cat and bird trade, customers who order on WhatsApp, and staff who work in more than one language.
This guide covers the practical side — tax display, payments, imports and languages — and how to set up your point of sale for each.
UAE: VAT-inclusive pricing and tax invoices
The UAE charges VAT at 5% (Federal Tax Authority, checked 18 October 2026). For a pet shop that means:
- Shelf prices include VAT. Customers expect the price on the label to be the price they pay.
- Tax invoices for VAT-registered businesses show your TRN, the VAT amount and the total.
- Bilingual receipts — Arabic and English — are common and appreciated.
In the POS, set products to VAT-inclusive pricing, add your TRN to the receipt layout and pick a bilingual layout. Confirm the exact invoice content your business needs with your tax adviser.
Pakistan: sales tax, wallets and power
Pakistan’s sales tax on goods is administered by the FBR (fbr.gov.pk), with provincial authorities covering services. Practical points:
- Quote and record prices plus applicable sales tax; rates and thresholds change, so confirm yours.
- Customers pay with cash, cards, JazzCash, Easypaisa and bank transfer (IBFT). Add each as a payment type so end-of-day reports balance.
- Load-shedding happens. Keep the register, printer and router on a UPS, and a mobile hotspot as backup internet.
WhatsApp is your shop window
In both markets, customers message first:
“Do you have the 2 kg salmon cat food?” — “Same as last time for Mango, please.”
Make it fast:
- Search the customer by phone number; their pets and last purchases are on screen.
- Turn regular orders into repeat orders so you are messaging them, not the other way round.
- Use the online store link to answer “do you have…?” with a product page.
Imported food: dates matter more
Most premium pet food in both markets is imported. After shipping and customs, it can arrive with months — not years — of shelf life left.
- Check the best-by date at receiving. Refuse or negotiate stock that arrives too short.
- Record lot and date on every line so the POS sells the oldest first.
- Run the stock-expiry report weekly. See our FEFO routine.
Birds, cats and loose seed
Bird keeping is a big part of the trade, especially in Pakistan, and cats dominate in many UAE neighbourhoods.
- Sell seed and millet by weight.
- Sell live birds as products with variations (single, pair).
- Use pet profiles for cats with diet notes — Persian and other long-haired cats often need specific food and grooming.
Languages at the counter
| UAE | Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer languages | Arabic, English, Hindi/Urdu, Tagalog… | Urdu, English, Punjabi, Sindhi… |
| Receipts | Arabic + English | Urdu or English |
| Staff screens | Per person | Per person |
A POS that lets each staff login choose its language — including right-to-left Arabic and Urdu — makes training new staff much faster. See languages.
Pricing for each market
GetPetStorePOS prices each market separately, not by converting dollars: UAE pricing is in AED with VAT included, Pakistan pricing in PKR plus applicable sales tax.
GetPetStorePOS Onboarding Team — Setup and switching specialists
The Onboarding Team moves stores onto GetPetStorePOS: CSV imports, tax and receipt setup, grooming calendars and staff logins.
Imports product, customer and pet files for new stores · Sets up tax, receipts and registers for the USA, the UAE and Pakistan