There's No Amount of Money I'd Take To Keep Working There - Cashier PetSmart Employee Review

1.0
Sep 25, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Weekly direct deposit - 15% employee discount - Dyed hair, makeup, piercing, and tattoo-friendly - Lots of cute animals

Cons

- Insufficient training - Unstable hours - Unsanitary work environment - Understaffed and over-tasked - Raises are extremely minimal and only occur every 3 months - Customers can be EXTREMELY rude and condescending - Constant pressure to capture people's emails, sell puppy guides, get donations Some highlights: - Extremely unstable and fluctuating hours. Managers have obvious favorites. I worked part time, and only had shifts that were 4.5 hours long, and two or three shifts a week. 4 shifts if I was lucky. - At one point, I was being scheduled 4.5 hours a week. The managers I spoke to claimed that it was because of everyone's availability but I know that either: hours weren't being distributed equally or that they were being severely cut by corporate. - The amount of hours I would receive a week seemed especially unreasonable when I was still only getting 4.5 hours a week and yet I was available full-time (being on spring break at the time). - When I first started working, I was thrown on the register with very minimal training. No instructional videos, and only a 5 minute tour of the warehouse-sized store. This lead to extremely stressful, unnecessary situations. It was highly uncomfortable experiencing the frustration and disappointment from both customers and co-workers. - I worked at PetSmart for an entire year and had one uniform shirt that was given to me during the entire duration of my stay there. When I asked if I could possibly get more it was never made a priority and more shirts were never given to me. - Pressure to get a high email percentage, sell puppy guides, and donations. Constant disapproval and talk-downs from management if these quotas weren't met. - Some of my manager's were very condescending and passive aggressive. It did not help the team or the team's morale in any way. At times these managers would ignore me and my other co-workers, refuse to answer questions, give vague descriptions, or tell us that we should already know the answers to the questions we were asking. Oh and lets not forget constantly asking us if we did something correctly and how we did it. It made an stiflingly uncomfortable, hostile environment. - Dog waste is everywhere. Dried, crusty urine stains in nearly every aisle. It was impossible to clean them all since we were always understaffed and over tasked. We provided "Oops" stations for all pet parents whose dog has had an accident. And yet, I watched people wait for their dogs take a dump, look around, and just walk away. The blatant disrespect was astounding. - Oh and lets not forget about the dust and state of the public restrooms. - Working here had a devastating effect on my mental and emotional health. I didn't feel valued or appreciated in any way close that was close to genuine. I HIGHLY discourage working here.

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PetSmart Response
7y
Thank you for taking the time to provide such thorough feedback. I'm sorry to hear this was your experience. I understand your frustration. We'd like to hear a bit more so we can address swiftly. Please contact the CareSmart line at 1-800-738-4693. Thank you, again.

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5.0
Jan 21, 2026
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Pros

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Cons

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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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