PetSmart Reviews

Pros

-Good chances of a raise if you are a salon worker
-Full time employee benefits
-Ability to turn any dogs away if you are uncomfortable grooming them
-Lots of safety policies

Cons

-The people who write rules for the salon have clearly never done that particular job
-Lack of confidence from Managers to Groomers
-Will comp your pay for very minor issues in a groom, some which are unavoidable
-Lack of willing communication between district manager, store manager, salon manager, and associates
-Lack of structure when it comes to what rules will be acknowledged and which will actually be followed by management
-Realization that no one but Pet Stylists have ever done that particular job

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your groomers, follow the rules, and read what you are having Pet Parents sign when they come in. The paperwork states that if anything happens that a dog has to see a vet than the pet parent has to pay for the bills because we are not liable, yet we always have to pay the bills and you take the pay from your groomers without hesitation. Give respect to your employees and at least know that we do know what we are doing.

Pros

Being able to always work with animals
learning some much knowledge about animals
helping customers with their needs

Cons

customers can be difficult and do not take your advise
they have strict rules on appearance and dress code

Pros

Good Company to work for

Cons

Having to clean up after dogs

Advice to Senior Management

your employees are not numbers they are actually real people

Pros

Amazing job. I loved it! The people I worked with were great, and the management was VERY easy to talk to. There was ALWAYS something to do there, and it was a very laid back job. It's great to learn things on the spot, and it makes you feel good when someone comes up to you to ask something, and BOOM, you know the answer and you can provide additional information to them if need be. Management was great, but it wasn't the best. I can't complain about them though. If you are in high school, or just needing a job for some money, GO here. It's great! They would have some people call in sick, and when they called me, I ALWAYS said YES. I've even came on christmas eve, to help a manager and another associate feed the animals and fish. The store is clean and ALWAYS friendly!

Cons

Although stocking shelves can be easy, the small cat food cans, you know the ones that ALL look the same except some tiny detail, are all messed up from customers, and it's a pain to put them back in the right place. Also sometimes it's really hectic; like when a new shipment of stock comes in, it's a small stocking room in the back, and you would get like 20 crates. Also when you give advice to some customers, they seem to want to hear what they wanted, and if it's not what they wanted to hear, they just ignore you; like when you offer them a great kind of pet food, rather than the one they are using.

Advice to Senior Management

Sometimes you guys play favorites. I'd rather you give respect and hours to people who deserve it, and instead of people you like, on a personal level. I worked my ass off. Literally. I would be constantly doing things and making the store better, the best that I could. And I had my hours cut, and given to someone else. Didn't feel right to me. Not at all.

Pros

The customers were always friendly.

Cons

There really wasn't much room for advancement.

Pros

Playing with dogs is fun.

Pay starts above minimum wage.

Free t-shirts. (Petty, but it's the only "pro" that isn't also a "con.")

Cons

Management is completely incompetent. No time management and no consideration for employee morale. They say they listen to employee ideas, but actions speak louder than words.

Every time you shower, you will find a new bruise somewhere on your body, and you will not know how it happened.

Regardless of how the PetsHotel is doing, hours will be cut. The hours that are available will be given to those who pretend working there is nothing but sunshine and rainbows. Anyone who voices any type of concern will face retaliation...

... Which leads me to favoritism: Management bases who they like on who is prettiest, funniest and any other irrelevant "-ist" description you can imagine. If you're one of the favorites, congratulations! Call in sick, be unproductive, don't even show up; it doesn't matter. But if you're not one of the favorites, find a new job. Now.

You're extremely lucky if they don't just shove you into camp and refuse to train you on anything else. Lack of time management (see above) means they can't train you, and frankly, you were hired to be a glorified circus act.

Advice to Senior Management

Your employees are not puppets, robots or circus animals. They have thoughts, feelings and opinions. They don't appreciate being put in solitary confinement (AKA Doggie Day Camp), and they don't appreciate being treated like they're too stupid to know when they're being treated like crap.

I'd offer more advice, but they don't care. And at this point, neither do I.

Pros

Compared to other retailers it is not as busy during the holidays. They spend the resources taking car.e of the pets

Cons

Having no debit and billions in the bank they make it all off of the managers and kids in China that make their products. There are few hours available to get the work done.

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure you provide the resources to the stores to get the job done. Buy some American made products

Pros

The best thing about working at PetsMart is the customers who genuinely care about their pets and people around them. You can educate a pet parent on the proper care for their pet, and they appreciate it.

Cons

The worst thing is the customers who never listen to the associates on the basic and proper care of their pets. It's even worse when you are dealing with fish, and someone brings in a bag of dead fish that died because a tank was over crowded.

Advice to Senior Management

You're core store employees have a wealth of information. If given the chance to shine they can shine brightly. Also, listening to their opinion on whether or not a sale should be made versus some managers who just look at the dollars, can and will save the company money and improve the company image.

Pros

- A company with a great mission
- Retail positions are productive and fun
- Cross training for multiple positions keeps things interesting
- Great place to work if you love animals
- If you are lucky to have a good store manager who genuinely cares about customers and employees then you will likely have a great time

Cons

- Limited advancement opportunities in retail
- Higher employee turnover but varies from store to store
- An honor system for coffee breaks is better for morale than a strict time card swipe system. Not all stores strictly enforce this YMMV

Advice to Senior Management

Please implement a computer automated solution for employees to schedule vacation/time-off ahead of time. Also please provide a reward system for employees who are more flexible with their schedule.

Pros

Fun people to work with, don't have a supervisor over my shoulder while working, more than decent pay when there are dogs to groom, good work environment and I get to work with animals all day!

Cons

Frequently too many groomers and not enough dogs so the pay is terrible (commission based), doesn't feel like I will be growing within the company (no opportunities for advancement). Many unkept promises and little support

Advice to Senior Management

When you hire your employees, be straight forward with them about their chance to grow within the company and current situation with staff. Don't overstaff your groomers, you'll end up with fewer of them than when you started. There are way too many check in procedures that are not absolutely necessary, such as pawgress reports and email addresses being filled out during check in; this takes time away from the whole reason we are there (to groom dogs) and puts often puts the Pet Parents in a fowl mood- they just want their dog to be dropped off and groomed, way too much paperwork.