Typical Retail disguise as a pet friendly humanitarian gesture. - Lead Pet Care Specialist PetSmart Employee Review

2.0
28 May 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

FRIENDLY PEOPLE. There are some genuinely nice human beings working within PetSmart and I really can't stress that enough. "Pet people" are good people, and that mostly proves true up until you start dealing with corporate and home office... If your tired of cold, unfriendly retail managers or co workers and are looking for a friendlier environment, then PetSmart may somewhat rekindle your faith in humanity. Note: I have worked for PetSmart for nearly three years now and at four differing locations and I can tell you that no two store sites are the same. each location has its own culture and "vibe". I have seen them all: the good the bad, and the ugly, so it pays to get to know staff of a store site if you can before working there. It can be the difference between night and day. Working along side PetSmart partnered pet charities like: the Humane society, can prove to be one of the most rewarding experiences one can have while working with this company. One most keep in mind that all such ventures are strictly voluntary with out monetary reward and must be perused by ones own volition as no member of Pet smarts management will direct you toward such duties.

Cons

Despite the company's focus on pet adoptions, fighting euthanasia, and focus on long term pet health, at its core it is nothing more then a retail company that treats and rewards its ground floor employees poorly. When working at PetSmart, one can come to expect: low pay, no health benefits, constantly fluctuating work hours with no schedule consistency, and little room to move up with in the organization. Some negative factors are: Low wages (minimum wage up to about $9.50) along with .10 cent incremental yearly raises. Random, computer generated, schedule that managers are seemingly at the mercy of, no matter how asinine the out come of it is. not only is the employee schedule generated at random, but its often posted late with in the week (like Friday), giving one absolutely no time to plan for family or home life. Swing shifts are expected to be performed by everyone as well at a moments notice. so for example, you could be working with animals in Pet Care from 4pm to 10pm and then be expected to come back into work at 5am the "following" night and perform stock. For a company so focused upon humanitarian gestures, this move by them is surprisingly" inhuman."

Explore other reviews about PetSmart

5.0
4 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun, welcoming, easy, flexible, growth

Cons

Weekends, slow, customers, busy, fast pace

3.0
27 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you have experience they can pay very well considering the size of the company. Depending on which store you are in, they can be pretty good at fostering a good environment and culture.

Cons

Company is primarily focused on sales and not customer experience. So expect a lot of metrics and hounding customers. Company is trying to be technologically forward but continues to neglect to invest in the technology. So there’s updates every week crashes every week with no communication around it.

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PetSmart Response
1d
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. We appreciate hearing about your experience and are glad you found positive aspects of your store's culture. We also understand your concerns around technology and communication. If you'd like to talk more about your experience or get additional support, please reach out to our CareSmart team at 1-800-738-4693.
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