r/petsmart

I just received part-time job offers from both PetSmart and Century 21, and I need help deciding which one to choose. I’m a college student starting school in September, so I’ll be working this job part-time through graduation.
At Century 21, I’d be working in the fitting rooms (I already have experience with this from a previous job).

At PetSmart, the role is more varied — stocking, registers, packing online orders, feeding animals, etc.

For current or recent PetSmart employees: What’s it actually like working there?
How are the hours and scheduling (especially for students)?

How physical/tiring is the work?

Do you get to work with the animals a lot?

Any major pros or cons I should know about?

I really want to pick the job I’ll enjoy more long-term. Any honest insights would be super helpful — thank you!

PS: at Century I’m only gonna be doing fitting room, nothing else. The manager said it can get hard sometimes.

I hate this schedule so much. I barely have any time for myself before or after work because of the inconvenient hours. But I cannot afford to get less hours until I find another part time job. I can’t get another part time job because I have to be here at 1pm almost everyday until close. I feel like I’m trapped and I feel sad. I love my job, I hate my hours. What do I do

How do they know or keep track of activations on an individual basis?

hi! what are the differences in responsibilities at your store between a regular PCA and a pet specialist? what about the percentage pay raise? and how long it took to get your promotion from one to the other? curious because i wonder how universal these experiences are!

Do we get play up points for earning associate of the month?

I know, I know, the opposite of an actual problem. PetSmart was my primary job until a few months ago. I have a full time job with benefits. I'd like to make my hours 4-8 hours a week so that I can still have an employee discount. Is this a strange request? I'm not sure how my management will react. 💀

hi everyone, i just got hired as a dog bather but im doing a lot of cashier work, i didnt know i would have to do cashier stuff for entire shifts as when i was getting hired they made it seem like i would only do cashier if they were in desperate need but i have been doing entire 7+ hour shifts of just cashier. i do not do my best work in open ended environments, so i am not entirely sure what i am supposed to be doing all day. i have a seven hour shift today but i have no idea how to fill seven hours without getting in trouble for not working enough. if i had known i would be doing mostly cashier work i would not have taken the job and yet now i am locked into the job as i need the money. i live in texas if that helps.

edit to add i still have not been paid as they haven’t given me any information about setting up direct deposit, and i have worked here for about 2 weeks.

Former PL. I worked for 5 years at my location. I was next to get the CEL position before the restructure was announced. Ended up taking pl, since I could still be in petcare. I've helped with pogs before as alk but mil stuff was all new. I've come to hate work, sitting in my car thinking I could use sick time. I'm cool with everyone, I've never had an issue with anyone in my entire work life. The whole mil shit was all new to me and I told my PLR I knew minimal. She didn't really train me and I know it's a learn as we go but this whole time I've just been constantly belittled. Snarky remarks and shout out to the group chat letting everyone know if I fucked up. She's been exhausting and it's officially gotten to me. I spoke to my sl about it, spoken to her about it, and nothing has changed. I hate this I didn't wanna quit I wanted to be a better pl. I saw this as a career opportunity, I loved my store I pulled pet care out of the fucking embarrassing gutter it was in. Had the BEST inventory in the district. But I still to this day have no clue what I've done wrong. I was manager, petcare cashier, promoter, bather, dog trainer if that needed filled. Oh but don't forget SFS! bopis! autoship! Push activation! There was a time it was only me and just a cashier on the weekends. This feels like an incomplete break up. Maybe if I had gone off on them I'd feel better?

I’m soo tired of working at petsmart and letting them screw me over. But, i genuinely do like my job as a bather and would like to stick to the path & eventually become a dog groomer.

for bathers who did quit, where did you go after? Is Petco any better? What should I do?

So I work for petsmart and we have a co-worker who comes in rude, disrespectful, you can’t say anything to them without them being dismissive or have any attitude or snarky tone. Yet when I ask why they haven’t fired them yet they say that have to go by Arizona state law when letting someone go?

Today, it was me 2 leads and SL in the store. The SL called the 2 leads into his office to have a meeting and left me alone on the floor for about 20 minutes.

Does this violate company policy? Isn't at least one manager be present on the floor at all times?

Hey so to hopefully cut this down as quickly as possible, I very suddenly find myself surrounded by managers who's only work experience is PetSmart and Im trying to help them transfer between the 2 companies. Well, I was, but they really just keep pissing me off instead of absorbing anything.

Can yall deny animal sales? "Well at Petsmart you can't tell people no!" Is always a response i get when trying to tell my manager (gm) that she doesnt/shouldn't have to sell goldfish to literal bowls. I've slightly gotten her over that (well, she doesnt say anything to anyone else for denying sales but she still does the sales alllll day long), but there's that beardie video thats going around rn that definitely seems to imply that you CAN deny sales, so is she lying to us or is that new???

Can yall turn down grooming clients? My new assistant manager just stared at some grooming customers while they were cussing out my groomers (should have told them to gtfo) and when they told her they were going to remove that customer from their books she tried telling them they can't do that (we most definitely can, and for less reason). In relation to that story, can keyholders at petsmart handle conflict with customers or yall literally go find a store manager every time a customer looks at you funny?

Are ONLY animal care positions doing animal care? What if yall dont have an animal person that day?? What if an emergency happens???

Honestly I could go on (dear god i dont even wanna talk about how bad they are at truck), every day I encounter some new dumb shit that basically violates the rights of all the employees, puts more work onto them, and the 2 of them do nothing while telling us "well at petsmart".

Tldr: Can yall deny sales/service? Who takes care of animals? Are my new managers lazy assholes or just INSANELY restricted by their petsmart ways? (Like honestly if everything they tell me about petsmart is true I can't fathom why so many people have hopped between our two companies like its nothing, these are radical differences imo)

Edit: This was so validating LMFAO. Also more of yall should fight your managers because if someone told me to go directly against written policy I'm gunna fight a hoe (professionally), I've done it and I still have my job, those mofos do not, stay feisty 🤌🏻

Update: I came to work this morning and none of my reptiles have water 💔 I'm gunna lose my shit