I've never felt the need to review a company ive worked for or currently still do (for now adleast) so much until now.
When first starting at the company I found I was a much happier person and was happy to go to work and even happier at work than I would be at home! (Yes seriously) How the company operates and cares for the dogs has always been a big thing for me with a work background in doggy daycare/boarding and pet care!
The job itself is great and rewarding as well as it being very therapeutic to work with animals too!
I've done this type of work with another company before but I liked how much of a balance there was between the caring of animals and how they cared for their employees adleast how they used to or I thought they used too...
There was a time where I'd once say in a perfect world that I'd do the job for free if there was no such thing as cost of living!
My biggest problem is really that petsmart is a company that just doesn't like to show appreciation to their dedicated workers and seniors otherwise you wouldn't have employees who've been with the company for months to be out earning those that have worked there the longest!
In a company where we are not supposed to talk about our wages it only makes sense when everyone's not treated fairly but yet we have people who get raises who like to gloat about it and tell everyone anyways!
This is the first company that I've worked for that refuses to give people full time even after over a year of employment but w
I regret applying at PetSmart. Very Discouraging and Disappointing
I completely regret working here. Disappointing and Discouraging and Disheartening. I found training at PetSmart did not prepare me to work at other grooming salons. Training at this particular location did not even prepare me to work at PetSmart. Applying here was difficult and time consuming, 3+ months including the background check. For some reason I wasn’t getting the all the emails, even though my email address was confirmed by me and accurate. Finally getting through hiring process the computer troubles continued and it was difficult for me to sign in and get started, taking even more time. Getting through that and on to the first day working, tools were not available for me to complete my computer training completely, ie a completely working computer, on the days I was scheduled to do my computer training, the completely working computer was double booked and I was pressured to rush through it anyway, using a computer that had no sound and not being able to listen or watch all the safety and training videos. Starting in the salon, tools were not available for me to do my job, ie a grooming table to work on, so poorly prepared they were for another groomer to work there. Even though they knew over 3 months ahead a new groomer was coming. I felt my own personal grooming tools were not safe as the drawers in my stand did not lock and I was never given a key. The work environment there is anything but calm. Completely chaotic. Toxic. As a new employee the on the job safety
ProsEffort made on staff room which was appreciated:)
this may be a lengthy review but please read if you’re considering working here. i feel like 2 stars is generous, but because i was so happy when i first started this job, it deserves at least some recognition.
I’ve been working at Petsmart for almost 3 years now, a bather for 1, and a groomer for almost 2. i used to be in love with my job, i would be excited to come to work. the people, the environment and the job itself made me SO happy. then i started grooming. management for the most part is horrible, almost petty like high school. once i started grooming, the environment changed completely. Petsmart has a great academy program to START grooming but once you have the training, get out of there as fast as you can. they only care about numbers and money, and are very inconsistent with rules and policies. 6 groomers have quit since i started working at this location, 4 of which were still on “contract” when they quit, which is another issue. they scare you into signing a 2 year contract, worth 5000-6000$, (including a tool kit which is nice) but won’t act apon it if you quit. as per inconsistency, all of my co workers and i have had different prices on our “contracts” which goes to show the professionalism of the company. a girl i went to the academy with didn’t even have to sign a contract. if you like the corporate structure, this might be the job for you, but i personally HATE grooming like an assembly line. i can comfortably groom 5-6 dogs in a 8 hour shift, but wou
ProsGuaranteed half an hour lunch breaks, great academy program, benifits, working with dogs.
A great disappointment and felt targeted by management
I really wanted to like this job. There were dogs and cats involved. But honestly, the dogs and cats were the best part. No complaints about the animals. Some of my former co-workers were wonderful too. Glad to have met them.
Management, on the other hand? They made the experience unbearable. And it wasn't just pets hotel management, it was the store leaders too. Almost all leadership parties were weird. It was like I was hired just to be emotionally abused. Watched constantly so they could have something to complain about, and they did complain. Would tell me I'm under-trained, which was a given seeing as this was my first time in a dog daycamp setting, but no efforts were made to correct the "many mistakes I would make." They'd just whine about my performance, throw me back to the wolves (quite literally), then look for the next thing to complain about later after a period of calm. Would accuse me of not doing things that were done and could be proven done - despite the fact they made it known they were always watching, they seemed to have no idea what was going on.
Most of my co-workers were miserable right with me. Overworked and understaffed, and it wasn't a surprise we were understaffed. From what I'd gathered, there'd been a previous mass exodus as soon as a certain someone rose to power. There were never enough people on critical shifts and it led to plenty of cutting corners, I.e. animal neglect. I was left in early morning group walk for over an hour most times be
ProsAnimal care, a few co-workers, getting paid
ConsManagement, not enough staff, a lot of work with little help
First day? Yea they don’t care. Just get in there and learn on the job. Oh and you only have your 4-5 hour shift to learn it. And don’t mess up because there are things around that could hurt the animals! Next day? They give you a big speech about making sure you follow policy and procedure. Except, some of the procedures are set up for older stores, and don’t work in newer ones. What takes 10 minutes in an old store takes an hour in the new one. But don’t worry! After a while you’ll figure it out!
Management doesn’t care. They play favourites, you come to them saying you have a problem, and they just tell you that they will fix it, and then nothing. You ask again, and they keep telling you that they will get to it later. Speaking of management, you want to get into it? Working hard doesn’t get you there. And if you are a pet trainer, you’re stuck. You can’t move to management, because you can’t be both. They can’t keep a secret either. Someone mentioned that they would be leaving the store to the managers, and by the next day, everyone knew, and the person didn’t want everyone knowing until they were ready.
And your hours? Ridiculous. Mostly 4-5 hours long, and maybe 20 hours a week. Never more than 30 unless someone is out and you end up covering a ton of shifts. They will call you last minute any day to ask you to cover. One day off? Called! But the managers? Always 40 hours a week. And then they complain about how much work doesn’t get done, but it’s hard when the
Head office has unrealistic expectations in regard to employee quoatas in the grooming salon, they also require all groomer trainees to sign an non-competition contract before they will train you as a groomer. Now, before I get into everything else if you want to become a Pet Groomer DO NOT GO TO PETSMART! The training PetSmart offers is extremely mediocre, and does not touch on nearly enough. If you want to learn to be a groomer nothing beats an apprenticeship at a quality salon!
Basic salon equipment is subpar, they buy cheaper equipment to save on expenses so quite often the salon in which I groomed at did not have working equipment. Having equipment serviced and replaced by head office is nearly impossible, often resulting in dangerous situations due to broken equipment (I once saw a stand dryer burst into flames while a colleague was using it due to the heating element malfunctioning from lack of maintenance done on the dryer).
Salon environment was incredibly toxic, employees were bullied by the salon manager and a few of the managers preferred employees. Head office policy and procedures in regards to grooming made it difficult to groom dogs in a quick and efficient manner. We could only book appointments according to company policy which would create a backlog of clients waiting to have their pet checked in due to 4-8 dogs being booked for the same time slot. The check in process for a groom was incredibly lengthy which cut into precious groom time, and since head
ProsNothing
ConsToxic work environment, manager turnover, employee turnover, training program, treatment of animals, management, bullying
Where do I start… let’s start with some positives. If you are looking for a temporary job, where you can pick up some retail experience and super basic pet knowledge then it’s not bad. Now the cons, the company doesn’t care about you or the pets they sell. Your experience will depend on management. I worked in the petcare department mostly. You would think as someone who is responsible for the care of animals we sell ( fish, reptiles, birds and small animals). You would get some training… nope they will hire anyone even if you have no knowledge. Your expected to sell pets and help customers get what they need but how can you help them if you don’t know. They throw you on the floor and expect their poor overworked part time staff to teach them with no little staff or time. You could read their care guides to learn but the information is so outdated and some is down right dangerous. You will see animals go without due to staffing shortages which leads to sick or dead pets. You will come home both physically and mental drained every day for minimum pay. I was lucky to have a good team but high turnover rates, because most people that join won’t stay once they see how awful things are. The company has all these high standards but won’t give enough staff so your set up for failure. Unless your a groomer or management there is no room to move up. Your supposed to get yearly evaluation and raises but good luck if they even do them. Unless you dedicate your life and get yourself into
Might be fine if you’re just part-time because I didn’t mind the job as a bather, although you are getting paid min. wage for a job that deserves WAY MORE than that. Academy was a nice experience. But working as a full time groomer, again at min. wage until you’re done your 200 dogs (which is so little for how hard this job is), was stressful to the point where it affected me outside of the workplace and nobody in management had any solution for me after trying to go on a short leave and asking to transfer stores. I did not feel like I received enough training and supervision when I was working as a brand new groomer. I worked a couple months without a salon manager to guide me during my 200 dogs and had to teach many things to myself. When a manager finally did start working in the salon, I felt too pressured to know the things I couldn’t teach myself, and I was behind where I should have been at my point in the transition (from groomer trainee to SIT I think?), so it was time to go up in # of dogs per day but I honestly wasn’t ready. Speed or skill wise. I really didn’t know what the solution was, however I wanted to extend my options. However, when I requested the store transfer, I was told the job would be stressful at any location. Didn’t want to break my contract but couldn’t bare to go to work anymore. I have never experienced major anxiety before this job and I went to counselling to try to get over the anxiety, because it was definitely situational. After two sessio
Fast paced environment, stressful and multi tasking.
A typical day at work would be coming in, doing opening duties: turning on the computers, turning on phones, washing water bowls, letting the shampoos run for a bit, setting up grates for the bath tubs and drains. Checking to see how many dogs you have for the day, to check any availability the appointment book has and answering phone calls. Greeting customers as they walk in and also greeting the dogs that you are about to groom, checking the condition of the coat the dog is in and to see what cut the parent wants. I would open up their previous files to check if vaccinations are up to date and if not, to fill them in or call the vet. Reviewing what the parents wants done and printing out the service card and to make them sign the card on agreeing the length, type of cut, information is correct and the time that the dog will be done. While grooming the dog, customers would come in for walk-in services, phones would be ringing, checking in and our your other dogs all at the same time, also making sure the first dog gets out at the time the parent signed for. For closing duties: filing the service cards in the proper order, cleaning the salon, using disinfectant to clean the kennels, tables and tools, shutting down computers, cleaning the bathtubs and drains and sweeping/ vacuum hair from the floor and plugging in the phones to charge. I have learnt to deal with complains and issues, also how to deal with stressful situations. For a few months we were on and off with managers,
Prosfriendly staff, comfortable to work, reward cards
A good work place really depends on the people that surround you and good management is what makes or breaks associates. This has been the worse management I have ever experienced and I have no idea how almost all the managers at my store were hired. They are all incompetent, show clear favoritism, and don't do anything except give excuses that seem extremely dismissive when you come with complaints. The company says they have an open door policy but all it seemed like to me was just a door for them to shut you out if they don't like you anymore. I went to them with reasonable complaints such as schedules not being placed out in time (only 2 days before the next week when they're supposed to be 2 WEEKS in advance), horrible scheduling where there would be only 2 associates working in the entire store, needing help in pet care, etc. Except they twisted my feelings to make it seem like I'm only feeling this way because I was going through some personal trauma (like my grandfather passing and getting my car broken in to). However a few months have passed and I still feel the same so it's most definitely not because of that...
Mostly all the pet care associates and a few others feel this place is toxic due to poor management. I enjoy the animals, I enjoyed what I was doing, but the workplace culture is horrendous. All they focus on is sales when really they forget about the animal care aspect of the store especially because we have LIVE ANIMALS AND FISH.
Honestly, if they had h
ConsShort hours, understaffed, worse managers in the world
Only if you're desperate - even then you could probably do better
An average day: prepare the store for opening by counting the tills and setting up the registers. Remove the fish that died overnight (you will have some each day), feed the adoptable cats and fish, clean out the cat's cages. Once the store is open: check in dogs at the salon, run the cash register, stock shelves, customer service, answer phones, schedule grooming appointments, assist groomers with dogs, handle complaints, catch and bag fish, and always sell, sell, sell. At the end of the day clean the fish tanks, scrub the fish's filtration socks, count the tills, prepare the deposit, face the store, and clean the bathrooms.
Part time/full time:
As with many companies today, Petsmart (the LaVale store) has more part-time employees than full-time employees. While this is economical for the company, it is one of many ways the company shows it's employees they don't matter. The big difference between part-time and full time: vacation days, paid holidays, and health benefits. For Petsmart, part-time is considered 28 hours a week or less.
Work life balance:
This may have changed since I left but previously to obtain a job at the LaVale Petsmart you had to have open availability. This in and of itself is not unusual, but it's taken advantage of here. For example, it was normal to have 1-2 clopens a week. (A clopen is when you close the store at night, then reopen it the following morning.) In that same week, you could work a morning shift, afternoon shift, and an evening
ProsPeople bring their dogs in, that always brightens the day
Some stores are apparently better, but the district I worked in drilled it home to me that my words didn't matter, I was spending every day fighting against the company, and customers didn't know who to trust.
They want you to hand out "care guides" that give INCREDIBLY inaccurate information (such as hamsters loving to live with a friend, birds only needing a tiny cage, bettas needing only .5 gallons, etc) and while the company policy says you can refuse a sale, you will almost never be allowed to regardless of the conditions. I've had a customer yell at me that "it's not about the hamster, it's about me" when I suggested skipping on the hamster ball due to the injury risks they pose, or at least only using with close supervision in case of an emergency. I've had people tell me to feed my pet bird to a snake because a snake is better. I've had people tell me to flush my betta fish because they don't deserve a 10 gallon tank and I should get something more entertaining. The customer base is rough and continues to decline as petsmart drifts farther from good animal care and other companies drift closer, leaving petsmart with the (typically) less caring people who don't care what their animal needs as long as they still own it and do whatever they want with it.
Management varies greatly store to store and you won't know for sure if you've got someone who knows how to do their job and will also care about you even as an employee until you've been stuck there for a year
A typical day at work for the pet products manager, was arriving at the location at approximately 3:50am to let the rest of the team into the building to begin work. This would consist of a little bit of paperwork, while your team moves displays and pulls out the pallets, working, with the team to unload all pallets, stock shelves, move overstock into places, and correct wrong overstock placement from the previous evening. The next person comes in around 7:45.
I would like to state before you read the rest of this: I LOVED my job. The reason I left so quickly was because of the upper management within the store. The general manager and the operational manager became some of the most awful people I have ever met, but they weren't always that way.
When I first accepted the job, I was very excited to be working there with them. They were both very nice, even leaving me cute “welcome to the family” notes. I was in heaven. I felt like I had finally made it to a place where I belonged. But during my first few weeks all of my coworkers told me about the two upper managers and about how awful they were, a few of the girls even told me to run! I laughed them off and assured them that they were really nice to me and I would keep an eye out. Then, about 3 weeks in they started being short with me, after that downright rude, even mean.
The Operations Manager actually shut a door in my face while I asked her for help one day. Another example, I had used a forklift at my p
Prosgreat pay, nice benefits, bonuses, petting puppies, its a work out
ConsRude management, terrible HR department, weird hours, continued work in sweaty clothes
1.0
Customer Service Representative | Phoenix, AZ | Jul 6, 2022
Blatant misrepresentation of company expectations.
I was extremely hesitant while interviewing for this job. I was promised great management, full support, and inclusivity.
I have been out of training for about 2 months and have hardly spoke to anyone, I have only met with my manager once, I have frequently been ignored while trying to ask for guidance (due to being new). the training course was short messy and the trainers were collectively clueless. So many times we had to stop due to tech issues, time constraints or unpreparedness. My whole training class was about 80 at the start and eventually trickled down to about 45 at the end. Hardly anyone on the team was confident of the skills they learned in training after it was over. they practically threw us in to fend for ourselves. which is disappointing because there is even less guidance while not in training.
I have had 4 different managers in the span of 2 months and have yet to have a meaningful conversation with any of my managers or team leads about all of my concerns. I have had my questions blatantly ignored, whether sent via instant message or email.
HR is a joke and if you need something important dealt with don't expect to be taken seriously unless you assert yourself and your situation.
The goals they expect you to perform at are too unrealistic, again which is something I was told in the interview would be easy and attainable. over half of the last team I was on didn't meet the weekly goals set, and on my new team there are even more not within expectations
Prosopportunity to work from home, lunches, breaks, part time or full time
Constaken advantage of, high risk factor involved with accepting job offer.
This job requires memorizing a ton of strict policies and procedures, they expect perfectionism and the workload is stressful.
My training was a mess. Lasted 3 weeks, we were given outdated and misinformation. The training team didn't even know the correct policies and had to repeatedly consult with higher ups. After the first week of cramming info, we were put on live calls for the rest of training. After "graduating" almost half of the people I trained with quit, which tells you about their retention/turnover rate.
The call center is split into groups, having 1 supervisor and lead in them. Within the first year of me being there. I was switched 4 times into different groups due to supervisors/leads quitting. And some groups are definitely better than others due to leadership issues.
They score calls weekly (scoring is inconsistent, it depends on who scored you) and they're script/verbiage strict. Customers absolutely dislike it and will constantly get upset with you over it and try to bypass it. You have to stay on script and say verbiage to a tee or you'll get mark offs. Getting 0s on calls was very common, until they realized they had a problem with their scoring system and changed it, now it's harder to get a 0, but it's still possible. And Good luck trying to refute low scores for any reason, they'll just tell you no.
They also have weekly scorecards with metrics (adherence, call/revenue per hour, call scoring, etc.) Highest score is above, which I always had, yet t
Proscall center experience, employee discount, work from home
Cons30 minute lunch, stressful, heavy workload, micromanaging
The only reason I didn't quit sooner was because I enjoyed the company of my co-workers and my Salon Lead wasn't awful. The job is incredibly physically demanding. If you don't have a weight restriction then you're lifting several 20lbs-100lbs+ dogs throughout the day (minimum of six appointments if you're a bather that has been there a while, there were several groomers that did 8-12 dogs a day). Constantly moving from station to station, often carrying dogs with you. Constantly on your feet, the only time you sit is during your 15 or 30 minute breaks. They sometimes enforce the legally required 30 minute break but don't schedule you time for it in between appointments, so you either have to skip your break, or take it and fall behind for the day. They give you a fully packed appointment schedule with several dogs coming in at the same time as well as expect you to take every walk in service; these can take 5 minutes minimum, or 15+ with the help of another stylist if the dog is causing problems (they usually are). The companies "unwritten policy" is to get every dog out within an hour of their arrival; regardless of size, weight, fur type, how long check in takes, any other dogs you have at the same time, any walk in services you have to complete, any phones you have to answer, any customers at the front desk you have to assist, any co-workers you have to help, and the list goes on. If you don't get the large majority of your appointments out within that time frame, they do
Can be a fun place to work, until you become upper management.
I worked my way up from a part-time employee to a full-time leader position. I did what was required of me at all times, even went above and beyond to help cover extra shifts when associates call out or don’t show up to their scheduled shifts. Some days I worked 12+ hour shifts in order to help out “the pack.” You’re constantly told you’re doing a great job and that you’re an excellent addition to the team. Except when it’s inconvenient for the team. Constant drama and bickering amongst the employees. I have a degree but unfortunately petsmart pays me more than working in my actual field of study. I’ve tried to mention to management that I’d like to move up to a corporate level position, seeing that I feel that I’m ready for it. But I’m told I’m “too young” and that I’m perfectly fine where I’m at. No opportunities to move up within the company. I don’t want to be a leader for 25+ years before being considered for a corporate level position. Everything is great and you have an advantage, until you decide to have a family. Schedule is limited and management becomes upset if you can’t respond to emergency incidents or help cover a shift if somebody calls out. Management is always micro-managing what you do, they don’t let you run your department without some sort of negative input. You can’t hire employees without consulting with the district leader first. It’s an extremely stressful company to work for, if you’re at the retail level. Management also takes your words and twists
ProsThe pets, pet parents. Great benefits.
ConsInconsistent hours, no set schedule. Management talks down to you.
Management isn't what it should be at nearly every Petsmart I've worked
I've worked for Petsmart for quite some time. And management has always been a struggle. Particularly Salon managers. It's not an easy position to keep filled. Each salon has a team of people that grow close too eachother as they are essentially in a fish tank. So as a manager it can be like going into a shark tank until said manager gets their barring. Even then managers and associates are not compensated as well as they should be for thier work load. Most associates I know recieved 1 or more injuries most often bites, but hands can get tendionitis or carpal tunnel, your shoulder can get injured and your back. You will meet really nice dogs and nice people, but you will also meet the far opposite. What I hate most about this job was that I am not allowed to demand abusive owners to leave not can I contact animal control on the owner. Clients can be unreasonable and most managers hand them whatever they want like a skilled child having a tantrum. Causing continuous mistreatment to emplyees and services. Getting discounts and things for free due to those tantrums. Often times the clients complaint was something untrue or due to thier own neglect to thier pet. Clients pet is so matted that when shaved the fur comes off as one solid peice. Client complains the dog is naked even though you warned them 7 times at check in and suddenly they get a discount or a free groom. Does it matter if you did everything right? Made sure client was aware and why. Had client sign all
ProsDogs, the ability to limit contact with people. Has strict regulations protecting pets, usually good about making sure you get your lunch, working with dogs more then people, Usually some freedom to go home when dogs are finished
ConsFavoritism matters oftentimes more then work ethic, Are often over booked causing stress, and injurys happen throughout, breaks are difficult to take and the inviroment can be over wheeling
Questions and answers about PetSmart
What benefits does PetSmart offer?
Asked Nov 27, 2018
none other than killing the animals
Answered May 6, 2023
They keep employees at part time with 38 hours a week, to ensure they don't have to give benefits to anyone but management. Like most corporations.
Answered May 1, 2023
Why did you leave your job at PetSmart?
Asked Mar 23, 2017
Management is of poor quality. If you’ve worked in the Ottawa east pets hotel, you know who I’m talking about.
Answered Oct 20, 2020
Stressful being a bather.... now they’re booking 5 dogs for a person doing 5 hr shifts.... owners don’t always get what they pay for. Sometimes dogs leave wet, damp... undone.
Answered Sept 14, 2020
How often do you get a raise at PetSmart?
Asked Nov 7, 2022
only when you achieve ABSOLUTE perfection
Answered May 31, 2023
Once you’ve been there for a year, IF they even decide to give you one. At most it’s a dollar.
Answered May 24, 2023
What would you suggest PetSmart management do to prevent others from leaving?
Asked Mar 21, 2017
Leadership is lacking if not absent. The current store manager does not seem to have the skills needed to communicate clearly, honestly and directly. He is condescending, sarcastic and uses personal attacks. He is disrespectful. Leadership is about leading not making employees feel small.
Answered May 25, 2021
Higher pay especially for bathers in grooming dept... it’s actually hazardous..... $14 an hour to wrestle with a 100 lb dog isn’t worth it and coworkers are so stingy with helping you.
Answered Sept 14, 2020
What is PetSmart holiday leave policy? How much holiday leave do you get per year?
