Retail Store Employees Deserve Better Pay & Incentives - Pet Groomer PetSmart Employee Review

4.0
Apr 13, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Fantastic opportunity to learn the grooming trade - On-the-job training, guaranteed hours and pay - Very good benefits for full-time employees - Opportunities for advancement

Cons

- Low hourly wages & miniscule "raises" at the retail level - Terrible hours - Favoritism from managers - Lack of respect for those in the trenches - In reality, very little opportunity for growth if management doesn't favor you - Cutting hours to save on "overhead" without any care for those who need to pay mortgages and put food on the table - Preferential schedules for only a few salon associates, the rest have to work numerous early hours or closing shifts - Store management who only care about their own bonuses and no rewards for those whose work gains them such bonuses

Explore other reviews about PetSmart

5.0
Jul 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

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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