I love working with animals, so this was a great fit for me. - Pet Care Associate PetSmart Employee Review

5.0
Apr 26, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My favorite thing about this job is the fact that I get to work so closely with animals every single day. As a pet care associate I mostly deal with pet parents that are looking for fish or small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, etc. I love learning new things, and this is a great job where you have to be quick on your feet with pet parents and always be willing to learn new things. Another major bonus is the friendly environment that my store, in particular, provides. All of my coworkers and my managers are extremely friendly and make this job so much more enjoyable.

Cons

Probably the most difficult part of working at PetSmart, especially as a pet care associate, is the fact that you have to know A LOT about animals. Much of the time you will have questions dealing with setting up a proper environment for an animal or fish, or questions about a sick pet, and what can be done about it. If you are willing to put in the time to learn about all the animals and all the fish (as well as the products carried in the store) you won't have a very had time, but it is A LOT to learn. Also, the pay is better than minimum wage, but the amount of work that this job requires does not equal the wages set by upper management.

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5.0
May 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good job and location nice

Cons

None that I can think of

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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