Working at PetSmart 2+ years, have some questions for other workers. Feel free to voice opinions.

I've been working there for 2 years now. I started as a cashier and after about a year I switched to receiving. So I've been doing both since, mostly cashier though. My store seems to be VERY understaffed, mainly in receiving. We normally get a lot of pallets on truck days, and we only have about 2-3 people usually working them. Sometimes the cashier girls help out but I'm not sure if they are doing more harm then good. We never get done on time because of constant rule changes and a very negative atmosphere in the work place. I was threatened with getting written up because we were going too slow. The new hours and program to create hours is ridiculous. My SM and OPSM barley listen to me, and are in there own little world half the time. Me and the other 2 stockers ALWAYS have to do the trash, be it snow, rain whatever. Lots of trash always.. really a bad place to work for. I'm thinking about moving on to a different job because the atmosphere is so stressful and I make 250 dollars a week if I'm lucky and I'm busting my ass lifting 50LB dog bags constantly for 5+ hours a day.

Any opinions on everything I said? If you worked at my store for a week you'd really see everything I said in full context. Glad to find a site like this. Take care everyone.

PeterL.

Peter,
I have worked at 3 PetSmart's in my area on and off from 99 - 08 and I must say, the people in my area are great to work for and the conditions are nowhere near as awful as they seem to be at your store. My advice to you would be to contact SSG in Phoenix or your DM / Regional DM and inform them of the conditions at your store and see if anyone can intervene. No one should have to put up with S.D. or Ops Mgr's who don't care. Also, I would advise you to seriously look for another job only because if this job is your full time job, because 1) the benefits really suck, and 2) Unless there is a management position for you to move into, it's not worth making a full time job of it.

Hope this helps !

Jenn

I'm actually just part time but it's like my only source of income, so it's like pretty crappy. It took me 6+ months just to start because the old SD kept misplacing certain drug test paperwork, costing her job, and my family thinking I was on drugs. I really am going to get a new job because I can't deal with soloing a 20 pallet truck anymore.

I don't blame you for looking around, at least you're on the right track with this website !

I've learned depending on the people you may work with at PetSmart, it's only valuable as a p.t. job. I've seen what our managers here go through just to close the store at nite, and they actually have to sign off on three different clipboards in the S.D.'s office indicating they checked something in the petcare dept. PetSmart has waaay to many non - value add activities in their processes that I'd hate to be a part of fulltime !

Good luck on finding a new job.

hey, i couldnt figure out how to set up my own thread and honestly i dont have the time to look. but quick question. i havnt heard any opinions on stock positions. im about to start one and i would like to hear what i would actually do on a typical day. is this a bearable position? do we get caught up in the quota filling machine that i'v read so much about on this forum? just some advice would be nice.

plus i am a tattooed individual and good luck trying to cover them up PetSmart. moreover is this dress code adherent to stock positions. cant imagine loading and unloading pallets in khakis and dress shoes making a whole lot of sense.

JLHollister in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania said: I don't blame you for looking around, at least you're on the right track with this website !

I've learned depending on the people you may work with at PetSmart, it's only valuable as a p.t. job. I've seen what our managers here go through just to close the store at nite, and they actually have to sign off on three different clipboards in the S.D.'s office indicating they checked something in the petcare dept. PetSmart has waaay to many non - value add activities in their processes that I'd hate to be a part of fulltime !

Good luck on finding a new job.

Thanks for the heads up about Petsmart. I'm looking for a night job, & Pet Smart opened a kennel in the store literally behind the condo development where I live. I applied, but I should feel fortunate that no one has contacted me (I'm always dealing w/age discrimination -- I've been a vet tech since 1991 & am now reception/office @ a boarding kennel part time, so I'm qualified).

Peter - You really need to go to your DM or SSG with these issues. It is not the new scheduling system causing you to be short handed it is the way your Store and Ops Manager's are using it. The expected number of foot prints to be completed per hour is 1 so 1 stocker cannot be expected to hit that with a 20 foot print load (obviously). In that example you should have had 3-4 stockers working the load.

zion1 in Salisbury, Maryland said: hey, i couldnt figure out how to set up my own thread and honestly i dont have the time to look. but quick question. i havnt heard any opinions on stock positions. im about to start one and i would like to hear what i would actually do on a typical day. is this a bearable position? do we get caught up in the quota filling machine that i'v read so much about on this forum? just some advice would be nice.

plus i am a tattooed individual and good luck trying to cover them up PetSmart. moreover is this dress code adherent to stock positions. cant imagine loading and unloading pallets in khakis and dress shoes making a whole lot of sense.

In my opinion it's some of the toughest work you'll ever do, physically of course. On Mondays, It's usually a restock day, you work everything in the back, all the 40LB dog bags, cat litter, cat cans, dog cans, cat bags everything. This is VERY tiring if you aren't in good shape, and they expect you to be zombie/robots and do this all so quickly and easily. Tuesdays is the hardest day of the week, it's the first truck. You're expected to work a pallet and hour and sometimes that's just not possible. Constantly lifting 40-50 pound items back and fourth isn't fun. Oh and usually your the only one who gets to do the trash, bird poop, wet bird seed, tons of boxes. Here it's snowing out and they don't even offer me gloves or anything, it sucks really bad. A lot of stupid rules all the time.

I'm glad I left, I got a new job. I wouldn't recomend taking a stocking position, it's a lot of work and not that much money.

All and all, I have had a lot of negative experiences with it. I was bullied a lot when I first joined, and later those who doing it was fired. I asked for more hours and got put into the worst possible position ever. I feel bad for this other kid, he's full time and the ONLY person who actually works. He has to do everything usually, sometimes even soloing a truck himself. It's like, I'll work an entire pallet, and right after my PRES. M will be like hey, there's a new rule, you need to do it this way and that way, and it's like.. you could of said this before I started... A lot of really bad rules, and a lot of unneeded policies.

PeterL in Brockton, Massachusetts said: All and all, I have had a lot of negative experiences with it. I was bullied a lot when I first joined, and later those who doing it was fired. I asked for more hours and got put into the worst possible position ever. I feel bad for this other kid, he's full time and the ONLY person who actually works. He has to do everything usually, sometimes even soloing a truck himself. It's like, I'll work an entire pallet, and right after my PRES. M will be like hey, there's a new rule, you need to do it this way and that way, and it's like.. you could of said this before I started... A lot of really bad rules, and a lot of unneeded policies.

oh forgot to add, One of my major pet peeves, is how I'm totally busting my ass for 8.75 an hour, while EVERY time I pass the grooming salon they are just chatting and having a blast, sometimes they even leave early, and I can tell they make A LOT more then me, while I'm sweating and breaking my back doing this stuff.

Ok...I worked or I should say worked in a petsmart hotel in Saugus, Ma. I totally love my job as a night pet care specialist in the Hotel. With that being said my problem is managment. I have just recently witnessed bullying from a Senior against another employee which I thought was wrong. I went to the store Assistant manager and asked her what can we do, she came out and gave us each a card of who to contact. I thought it was best to go to my manager in the hotel so I did just that the next morning. Talked to her about it and followed the correct chain of command. Spoke with her and thought everything was OK at that point. Until I got a phone call from the Senior that I reported the very next day. Yelling at me and telling me that she will "never get fired" and that if I have a problem with her that I need to take it up with her...I told that her if my problem is with her then I will take it up with OUR manager. The person that was physically harassed is almost child like(we have all come to the conclusion that this girl stopped developing mentally at the age of 13 according to my manager). This senior I'm speaking about has been written up on at least one another occassion that I know of, and I have never been written up. Now I find the slow girl has changed her story, which I think is in fear of losing her job and maybe even promised more hours and the senior is still working and I am suspended until the investigation is complete. This senior has been spoken to for using the "N" word and for another situation which is kind of a little xrated for this site...which I thought was totally blown out of proportion when you hear the actual story. I guess my problem is the fact that I witnessed something that I know to be completely physical harassment and now I am being called a liar and my employment with this company is in jeopordy. This is more like a whos in and whos not in this clique that my boss seems to be a card carrying member...

Yeah I was a cashier that went to stocking too,I was happy there, now I'm cashiering again with no hours I hate my job !!!!

His name must be Ray Berg, Sean Dolan and Jen the little red head ?

LOL...Yes store reject(Ray Berg)and I believe it was Sean Dolan, but at that time he was just a senior. He's another Joke because I went to all of them and they were all in full agreement that this other co-worker was a menance and needed to be sent packing...but yet again he bailed out on me to. There was a Jen there and she was store side. I ended up being fired for some BS reason that when I first spoke to my super(Gail) she was in total agreement with me and my complaint...but that all changed. I was suspended pending an investigation of the story and the Slow girl ended being pressured into lying and changing her story. I got a phone call from the other supervisor asking me to come in for a meeting, well the dumbass didn't hang up the phone properly and I heard her and Ray talking about getting my paperwork and my final check ready for when I came in. So I knew what was going on before I got there, which just fueled my anger in the whole situation. The funny thing is Ray was another one who told me this moron co-worker who like to use the "N" word, and harrass the slow girl would be gone after the holiday(Christmas). Clearly that didn't happen...my a$$ was sent packing but not only before I made a scene on my way out the door. If I was to see anyone of these IDIOTS...I would not be above knocking one of them out. I did call the labor board that told me I did have a valid complaint with this company and their practices of dealing with employees and the the whole "N" word ordeal and the harrasment. That place has got to be the most backwards establishment I have ever worked at. Ray Berg is the biggest Do@che ever...No joke. I have worked at the same place for over 10 years my boss was sickened at how this situation was handled,offered up her Company attorney to go after this company. Don't work at this store ever! the funny thing is I worked there and wouldn't even think to leave my pet w/these people. This place by far has got to be the worst ever!!!