Terrible management at my store which made job unenjoyable - Pet Care Specialist PetSmart Employee Review

3.0
Aug 6, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked in the PetsHotel as a Pet Care Specialist. I loved the variability of tasks, as I would spend my day supervising doggie day camp, walking dogs, playing with cats, preparing meals, grooming (cheaper baths + nails than grooming salon), and working the front desk. Interacting with the pet parents was great for the most part, and forming relationships with all the dogs and cats was great. I never had trouble getting days off when I really needed them.

Cons

Initial training was like 10 hours of reading boring information about working in the store, which I never had to do. Corporate makes lots of stupid rules which suggests these people have spent little time actually working with live animals or asking PetsHotel employees to weigh in. The main reason I hated my job, however, was that management at my store was TERRIBLE. The PetsHotel manager was vengeful and made it an extremely toxic work environment. Me and several of my co-workers developed severe anxiety issues over working at PetSmart (insomnia, chest pain, constantly on the verge of an anxiety attack, etc.) because of this individual. Her only superior at the store was the store manager, who agreed with her methods of management (pretending to be nice to get dirt on co-workers so they had reasons to write them up, not allowing employees to interact with other employees that were not on the same level as them in the store...I almost got my friend fired who had recently been promoted by mentioning an interaction we had on social media). I was so happy to leave and it's a shame that these two individuals put such a damper on what should have been a fun job taking care of people's pets. I am giving 3 stars because without my manager I would have loved my job.

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PetSmart Response
7y
Thank you for taking the time. We are committed to creating a positive and welcoming environment. That clearly was not your experience, and I'm sorry to hear that. We'd like to gain a better understanding of some of the concerning patterns your shared, as they're not in line with our values. Please feel free to contact the CareSmart line at 1-800-738-4693 with more about your experience. Thank you, again.

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Pros

good pay benefits PTO always approved

Cons

sometimes pet health and care is overlooked

1.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company pushes for more and more from the bottom level employees without better pay. I worked there before the restructuring and; not much can make me cry, but working here sure did, even back then. I can’t imagine how anxiety inducing it must be to work there now. Animal welfare is a complete non-concern. The only thing that’s pushed is sell, sell, sell. It’s borderline dystopian. Bad management seems to be a common issue, not only from my experience, but many others’ as well. I worked until I was an exhausted sweaty mess to make sure everything in pet care or, when I groomed, the salon, was cleaned to perfection as expected of me (and I reiterate: “me,” because these standards were not expected of my co-workers, just me) and overall felt very unseen. The only times I did feel “seen,” was when mistakes were made. Work was treated like boot camp. A co-worker that was subtley targeting/bullying me, and even started rumors accusing me of racist remarks(!!!), was promoted and anything I reported was downplayed because they were friends with the assistant manager. Working here was an overall traumatizing experience.

Cons

Employees are expected to be work-robots

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PetSmart Response
3w
We’re disappointed to hear that your experience didn’t reflect what we aim to create for our associates, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. We invite you to contact the CareSmart line at 1-800-738-4693 so we can learn more and see how we can support you. Thank you.
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