What are typical grooming salon manager salaries?

Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

you make 80% commission on dogs you do, or hourly of min wage if you dont make commission. at most places, you do not get raises when you are paid commission

I will be moving soon to the Plano Tx area. As an owner of my own Grooming business for more then 27 years, what can I expect to make as a grooming manager in either a well established Salon or a franchise Grooming salon(Petsmart,Petco)? Are there any extra skills I should know? Like computers or book keeping.

i posted the other Lauren comment, and that was a typo, it should be 50%-60% commission of the price.

deborah- as far as pay, grooming manager makes 60% at petco. about 50-60 at other places. but you get benefits at corp. you do neecd to learn basic computer stuff, b/c as the manager you are in charge of changing commission for other employees, and emailing things and such. they do teach you these things.

if you owned your own business then why are you worrying about things like computers and bookkeeping? dont you already know that stuff?

Well I have owned my own business for alot of years but have never computerized it.. I do it the old fashioned way... 5"by7" cards...Everything by hand...It has worked well in my small town. So that's why I asked about PC's..Thank you for your info though. Since I am planning a move in the near future this is helpful to me.

I just recently left PetCo. The Salon manager there makes 60% commission. However I've just started at PetSmart and found that the Salon manager there makes 60% PLUS if you beat your planned sales you get a weekly stipend. There is a manager in my store now that is training and came over from the east coast of Florida and his Salon manager made over $60K last year. Being a previous owner of a grooming business you more then anyone will understand that it is what you make it. If you just sit back and hope that customers come in then you're putting your finances in someone else's hands. If you get out and hustle business then you'll do well. Hope that helps a little.

I am the grooming manager at Petco and we make 60% commission. but there is a catch, the salon has to sell at least $100 a day,over $1,500 a week in sales, work 40 hours a week,then and only then will you get your 60%. You also have to deal with corp alot and there monthly pro-mo's and meeting the expectations of book a baths. also all the coupons used in grooming come out of your commision. I don't know if that is even legal.And I worked at Petsmart.same thing, I like there rules and not too many pro-mos and coupons don't come out of your commision.I was a bather brusher when I worked there though.thinking of starting my own business.

Due to a move, I just left PS and am now groom mgr at PetCo. Let me tell ya- there is a huge difference. PetCo is a horrible company to work for and they do not care about the salon. I can list some of the differences:

PS gives the salon mgr 60% commission on everything.
PetCo does not.
PS pays a stipend for going over the plan number- hence, you are out on the floor getting customers and doing alot of positive customer service. I had gotten over $300 added to my paychecks. It is a great incentive to increase business. Also a quarterly bonus based on all the depts in the store- so it is team work all the way. Ingenious system.
PetCo does not.
PS has a towel service and does all repairs as needed, promptly.
PetCo has a washer/dryer and the dryer does not work and will NOT be repaired.
PS has strict safety rules concerning grooming.
PetCo does not. Breathing challenged pets are allowed as many cage dryers as they can fit on a cage.
PS gives a salon mgr a PS credit card to be used for special things. Be it a pizza party to reward your groomers for doing well or pretty fabrics for special bandanas. They also supply corporate logo bandanas and ribbons.
PetCo does not.
PS has stainless steel banks of cages and disinfectants and high powered dryers.
PetCo has wood cages with shoddy closures and they use bleach to clean. NOT SAFE!
PS supplies the salon well, including business cards for the salon mgr and other ones for appts that a groomer can personalize.
PetCo expects me to use a sticky note pad for this and will not supply anything.

I could go on and on and on. I am greatly disappointed in PetCo and when the new PS opens here all PetCo will see is my dust.

groommgr in New York said: Due to a move, I just left PS and am now groom mgr at PetCo. Let me tell ya- there is a huge difference. PetCo is a horrible company to work for and they do not care about the salon. I can list some of the differences:

PS gives the salon mgr 60% commission on everything.
PetCo does not.
PS pays a stipend for going over the plan number- hence, you are out on the floor getting customers and doing alot of positive customer service. I had gotten over $300 added to my paychecks. It is a great incentive to increase business. Also a quarterly bonus based on all the depts in the store- so it is team work all the way. Ingenious system.
PetCo does not.
PS has a towel service and does all repairs as needed, promptly.
PetCo has a washer/dryer and the dryer does not work and will NOT be repaired.
PS has strict safety rules concerning grooming.
PetCo does not. Breathing challenged pets are allowed as many cage dryers as they can fit on a cage.
PS gives a salon mgr a PS credit card to be used for special things. Be it a pizza party to reward your groomers for doing well or pretty fabrics for special bandanas. They also supply corporate logo bandanas and ribbons.
PetCo does not.
PS has stainless steel banks of cages and disinfectants and high powered dryers.
PetCo has wood cages with shoddy closures and they use bleach to clean. NOT SAFE!
PS supplies the salon well, including business cards for the salon mgr and other ones for appts that a groomer can personalize.
PetCo expects me to use a sticky note pad for this and will not supply anything.

I could go on and on and on. I am greatly disappointed in PetCo and when the new PS opens here all PetCo will see is my dust.

I too am a Petco salon manager and I have to agree with you. Petco doesent care about the grooming salon at all and for me to get supplies I either A) buy my own or B) improvise. We get shampoo and thats about it.

Thanks for your comment notalent.
We recently got the new computer system put in also. I have received ZERO training for it, the prices are all wrong, there is no way to pull up reports or numbers, it is totally useless. I spoke to the help desk and he told me this is put in simply as a marketing tool. That is why we can't even search using an owners last name! Everything has to be through the Pals card! This program they purchased and installed is clumsy, inaccurate, greatly lacking in all areas and except for marketing, it's a huge waste of money. Certainly, the groomers were not considered when this was done.
I get ZERO cooperation from the store manager and have decided to ignore him and do my own thing- however, the only thing to do is groom because "salon manager" is a title only and comes with no responsibility.
I saw the poster in the roach hotel lunch room and it says the goal is to reclaim the pet industry by 2010. Never gonna happen.
What a sorry joke this place is. I hope PetSmart continues to kick the crap out of them!

I just make up my own prices by adding shavebrushscissor fees to everything. I charge what our services are worth. I hated the computer at 1st but now I like it, ive learned to "master" it!, weve had it since nov. I change the dog breeds so shih/ lhasas are "mix breed small" for $43 instead of $38 for example. They have small poodle as $42. I add a $6 shave brush scissor fee to that so I get paid what the cut is worth. I havent lost customers at all with it. Utilize the SAM to your advantage. I make more $ now with it believe it or not.

Altho they DID NOT have any grooming input in it at all obviously! I hate having to look everything up by their PALS or ph#. It is all marketing and VERY inconvenient because none of the customers understand we can only look it up that way. Yeah I find that I have no real managerial "power" I cant even write up my own damn employees. The little kid assistant store manager can, but not me. I would love to see the GM be a grooming assistant under me for 2 weeks then maybe something would change! Oh and their lovely ideas about marketing the grooming salon: book-a-bath? What sadist thought that up?

-ATX

notalent in Austin, Texas said: I just make up my own prices by adding shavebrushscissor fees to everything. I charge what our services are worth. I hated the computer at 1st but now I like it, ive learned to "master" it!, weve had it since nov. I change the dog breeds so shih/ lhasas are "mix breed small" for $43 instead of $38 for example. They have small poodle as $42. I add a $6 shave brush scissor fee to that so I get paid what the cut is worth. I havent lost customers at all with it. Utilize the SAM to your advantage. I make more $ now with it believe it or not.

Altho they DID NOT have any grooming input in it at all obviously! I hate having to look everything up by their PALS or ph#. It is all marketing and VERY inconvenient because none of the customers understand we can only look it up that way. Yeah I find that I have no real managerial "power" I cant even write up my own damn employees. The little kid assistant store manager can, but not me. I would love to see the GM be a grooming assistant under me for 2 weeks then maybe something would change! Oh and their lovely ideas about marketing the grooming salon: book-a-bath? What sadist thought that up?

-ATX

OH and I think the petco computer runs on like windows 95 or something!

notalent in Austin, Texas said: OH and I think the petco computer runs on like windows 95 or something!

but yeah, all in all the petco comp. system is a wreck. it makes no sense, its inconvenient and slow. etc etc etc.

Host said: Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

to answer this question: that entirely depends. anywhere from $30 to, well depending on the salon, $60+ a year.
Skills? Be the best stylist. Talent. Assertiveness. Be kind, be a good leader, make people want to respect you.. And a willingness to be slightly mercenary. It is a very competitive field.

Thanks again Notalent for your reply. I am getting used to the computer now and am learning to use it to my advantage. It still is greatly lacking in many ways and is a clumsy and disorganized mess of a program but still better than that antiquated card file system.
I'm still disgusted with the overall salon and the lack of professionalism shown. There is so much room for improvement but no one wants it, from the store manager down to the groomers. So I do it for myself and am getting a very positive response from the pet owners. All in all, this has increased the numbers and our add-ons were #1 in the district last week. Not that it matters because the corp does not reward a salon manager for doing well but it is my own pocket and the self satisfaction of doing my job well that feels good. Such a shame they don't have the stipend or bonuses for the salon manager. That would really help motivate. I often wonder how a corp can be so blind?
In your salon, do you have one of the heated box dryers? This salon does and they are very unsafe and controversial. I found out they killed a cat a few years ago with that horrible thing. I refuse to use it and the door just fell off and I intend to throw that door out before anyone can entertain the thought of fixing it. Not that they fix anything there anyways. But it brings me back to corp again. Why do they allow this to be used when they are so unsafe??????
All in all, I am making the best of a crummy job and will still run- not walk- to the new PetSmart when they open.

By the way Notalent, you should change your name to Muchtalent cuz you sound like a very intelligent, ambitious, kind, successful business woman. and that takes TALENT!

Notalent is there a way to pm you? I would love to discuss a few issues I am having.
Thanks!

notalent in Austin, Texas said: I just make up my own prices by adding shavebrushscissor fees to everything. I charge what our services are worth. I hated the computer at 1st but now I like it, ive learned to "master" it!, weve had it since nov. I change the dog breeds so shih/ lhasas are "mix breed small" for $43 instead of $38 for example. They have small poodle as $42. I add a $6 shave brush scissor fee to that so I get paid what the cut is worth. I havent lost customers at all with it. Utilize the SAM to your advantage. I make more $ now with it believe it or not.

Altho they DID NOT have any grooming input in it at all obviously! I hate having to look everything up by their PALS or ph#. It is all marketing and VERY inconvenient because none of the customers understand we can only look it up that way. Yeah I find that I have no real managerial "power" I cant even write up my own damn employees. The little kid assistant store manager can, but not me. I would love to see the GM be a grooming assistant under me for 2 weeks then maybe something would change! Oh and their lovely ideas about marketing the grooming salon: book-a-bath? What sadist thought that up?

-ATX

Our SAM system does OFFLINE constantly! Customers get so aggravated that we can't look up their account by name. They end up with 3 Pals cards because they can never remember what phone number it's under. But I do agree with you, it's nice to be able to "customize" your prices. We lower our base prices a lot to drive up our add on's and spa packages.

...WOW...Shame Petco!

diane vonLeer in Levittown, New York said: ...WOW...Shame Petco!

Do you manage a salon? Just curious!

Ok update on the computer system. I have mastered it well as far as pricing goes. I do appreciate that it gives you $20 leeway for add-ons such as special handling and what not, if needed. However, the computer was finally upgraded so we can search thru last name but we also need the zip code! Well geez, that means when we make an appt we need the zip code if we want to put the appt in the computer before hand! Who the hell did this? Isn't last name simple enough? Now I have people that can't remember what their zip code was when they got the Pals card, which they obviously don't have with them when they come in! Just who are these rocket scientists that think this stuff up?
Just wondering how you are all doing with booking the next appt. That seems to be the major idea behind this computer. I am finding it very difficult to get people to commit and we will be written up now for not doing better with it. NO TRAINING - JUST THREATS AND WRITE UPS! NO SUGGESTIONS- JUST THREATS AND WRITE UPS! What a wonderful way to motivate your employees! (major sarcasm there)
Ok that's enough complaining for 1 day. LOL

the assume the groom is so stupid. "just make there appointment for them and call them the day before to tell them to come in". That is psychotic.

yes i manage a salon

notalent in Austin, Texas said: yes i manage a salon

LOL I know you do, notalent. I was asking diane vonleer from levittown NY.

Lost $35 in commission in 1 DAY last week due to coupons. I did that work and should get paid my commission. I didn't give out the coupons! That was corporate! What a crock!

groommgr in New York said: LOL I know you do, notalent. I was asking diane vonleer from levittown NY.

Lost $35 in commission in 1 DAY last week due to coupons. I did that work and should get paid my commission. I didn't give out the coupons! That was corporate! What a crock!

yes I do but a private salon..LOL

diane Von Leer said: yes I do but a private salon..LOL

WOW the experiences you guys are talking about..."stinks" to say the least!!! How are they with the dogs??? It must be VERY hard on you guys to work right in front of the "window"...!!! Im sure it's very stressful! Its like working in a Fish Bowel....Wow I know I couldnt do it. They should give you guys ALOT of credit!!!

i wish we got more credit really. we never hear when we do good or pull numbers up. just when they go down. we get nothing out of the things they want us to do...it only benefits the company. the fishbowl we are all very use to it. it can be annoying sometimes for various reasons. we are forced to try to sell worthless add-ons that are not useful to the dogs and are expensive for what they get. and when we drop below a certain number we get punished. i am to force people to buy a $20 add-on of razberry shampoo and teethbrushing. i could complain for the next 6 hours really. and im to force people to make there next app. while they are there and call them the day b4 to remind them of their fake app we made for them w/out asking...... whats good about petco: u can do as many dogs as u want and book them anyway u want to. insurance is pretty good. petco doesent care about talent or skill at all. (petsmart either. they barely train for 2 weeks to groom)only quantity.

I agree that the "spa" add on is not worth it at all. There is not even any scent left from the shampoo and most of the shampoos are the same quality. The only thing different about the "spa" than the "works" is the cologne, really. I do like selling the add-ons and the works cuz it is nice to give the dog a good shampoo, remoisturizer and tooth brushing. The best add on is the shed-less pkg. It really is worth the extra money. I tell people that with a regular bath or groom they will get about 15 minutes brushing but with the shedless we furminate till we are done. It really makes a difference in the groom.
We also seldom hear anything positive from the store manager. Seems more like it is his job to trash us for every thing possible. At PetSmart, the kudo's were all the time for a good job, if there was a weak area, I would be trained to recitfy it. I was not threatened all the time. I don't know how PetCo keeps employees and I sure hope it goes bankrupt and down the toilet one day.

notalent- as far as PetSamrt goes on booking dogs and training groomers- you are wrong about that. I was salon manager and I made the decision on what bathers showed the potential to be a good groomer and go to academy. After an intensive 4 week academy, where they were put up in hotels at company expense and paid for their training, they had to complete 100 dogs successfully, under my watchful eye, before they were allowed to start grooming on their own and make commission. I had the power to fail or pass them. At PetCo, they have a mentor program and I was asked to mentor a person and take less dogs per day and get paid a whopping $25 extra a day to do it! Are they crazy? Not in a million years will I do that.

Host said: Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

a salon manager can earn anything from $30,000 yr and up from there depending on the salon and type of grooming. petco/smart managers make $20,000 to $50,000 a year.

PetCo and PetSmart book dogs differently. PetCo books every hour, which I find creates alot of pressure. PetSmart books in blocks of 3, 2 and 2 or 3, I forget now. I was never under any pressure at PS to book more than any groomer and I were comfortable doing.
There is no comparison in all areas when it comes to PetCo and Petmart. From the pet safety issues, the equipment, the cleanliness, the morale, the pay structures, you name it- PetCo is a substandard company with NO respect for their employees or concern for the pets brought in for grooming.

notalent in Austin, Texas said: a salon manager can earn anything from $30,000 yr and up from there depending on the salon and type of grooming. petco/smart managers make $20,000 to $50,000 a year.

I know of PS salon mgrs that made $100,000 in a year. Between getting 60% for everything, stipends and bonuses, they can do quite well. I have noticed that this works best for the newer stores as the "plan" numbers, or weekly budget, is usually low so the stipends are larger. Once a store is established and the plan numbers are based on the last years sales, it gets a little more challenging to pull in that same salary. But it can be done!

At petco you can book them however u feel like. not one an hour, i book 4 every three hours. some groomers book one an hour but thats up to them. you can do as many as u want too theres no limit like at petsmart. the only advantage that petco has over ps is the groomers have a say in the sched. of dogs and how many/few they want/need. Also i have someone bathe them for me so that helps. it has drawbacks but it helps.

groommgr in New York said: I know of PS salon mgrs that made $100,000 in a year. Between getting 60% for everything, stipends and bonuses, they can do quite well. I have noticed that this works best for the newer stores as the "plan" numbers, or weekly budget, is usually low so the stipends are larger. Once a store is established and the plan numbers are based on the last years sales, it gets a little more challenging to pull in that same salary. But it can be done!

how is 100,000 a year possible when ps charges a lot less and your only allowed to do 9 dogs a day?? I dont think i could work for petsmart even if i was paid that much. im not downing/dogging ps, its just my personality would clash with the establishment and the way things are ran. ive heard a lot of horror stories from my groomers that have worked at the ones here. thats not to say there all like that or that there all bad. ps has a lot of advantages but too many disadvanteges. i may be wrong but i havent seen any proof otherwise. altho im sure ps says the same thing about us.

notalent in New Braunfels, Texas said: how is 100,000 a year possible when ps charges a lot less and your only allowed to do 9 dogs a day?? I dont think i could work for petsmart even if i was paid that much. im not downing/dogging ps, its just my personality would clash with the establishment and the way things are ran. ive heard a lot of horror stories from my groomers that have worked at the ones here. thats not to say there all like that or that there all bad. ps has a lot of advantages but too many disadvanteges. i may be wrong but i havent seen any proof otherwise. altho im sure ps says the same thing about us.

they both suck. haha. i wish they would both clean up and treat us all better. like the proff. we are.

notalent in New Braunfels, Texas said: At petco you can book them however u feel like. not one an hour, i book 4 every three hours. some groomers book one an hour but thats up to them. you can do as many as u want too theres no limit like at petsmart. the only advantage that petco has over ps is the groomers have a say in the sched. of dogs and how many/few they want/need. Also i have someone bathe them for me so that helps. it has drawbacks but it helps.

PetSmart doesn't limit the amount of dogs you book. In fact, they try to get groomers to take just 1 more and see if that works out for them. We were free to add or subtract the dogs we did in a day anytime. The emphasis was always on safety- too many dogs=too much pressure=accidents.

notalent in New Braunfels, Texas said: how is 100,000 a year possible when ps charges a lot less and your only allowed to do 9 dogs a day?? I dont think i could work for petsmart even if i was paid that much. im not downing/dogging ps, its just my personality would clash with the establishment and the way things are ran. ive heard a lot of horror stories from my groomers that have worked at the ones here. thats not to say there all like that or that there all bad. ps has a lot of advantages but too many disadvanteges. i may be wrong but i havent seen any proof otherwise. altho im sure ps says the same thing about us.

I didn't charge any less. In fact, when I came to PetCo they were charging less! They didn't offer any add-ons or charge for special handling if needed and justified, etc., they did nothing but the basic groom price.

At PetSmart, the stipend is the answer for salon managers. Say your plan # for the week is $5000 and you actually pull in $7000. You will get a sliding scale bonus- or stipend. That stipend can go up to $1000 in one week. I had pulled in over $300 a number of times on top of making over $1000 for the week grooming and this was a well established salon before I became manager. There is also a quarterly bonus. In a new store, the plan numbers are very low so if you are in a good area and are a go-getter, you can really rake in the stipends. After 2 or 3 years, they adjust the plan numbers according to the past years and it becomes a little more difficult to pull that much in but if you get out on the floor and rub elbows and talk it up, you can still do it. Also, if you are a good salon and a good salon manager, word of mouth will increase your business. I had alot of tricks up my sleeve to increase business and it worked. Will I do that for PetCo? Hell no, it does not pay for me to do it. We are busy enough and I am making what I need to. I get no monetary rewards for increasing the numbers.

That makes u a good manager. Maybe the ones here in texas are ran differently? I know that the groomers at the petsmarts here cant groom/ or are just being pushed thru out of pressure or something? I dont know, maybe its bad managers at store level. Yea i hate petco "training" if you can call it that. $25 a day?!!?? I make more than that an hour! Its not worth the trouble! In the time it takes to train, $25 a day for me to groom fewer dogs bc i have to supervise a trainee I would be loosing A LOT of money. Yet petco claims its thousands of dollars to train?! What training? Where does that money go?

Example: I had a girl go to another store for training (Im not a training manager for the above reason ;) "Training" consisted of her going to that store 2 days a week. She "groomed" 1 dog a week. While she was "grooming" these dogs the manager went to lunch. She did not supervise her at all. She would give her a dog and she would groom 1/2 of it and the manager would finish it without explaining anything about how to finish a dog. She learned no breed cuts. a teddy head was put to her like this: " just brush the hair forward and cut the edges...". And her final "exam" was doing a cocker skirt on a maltese mix. She groomed a total of 6 dogs. well, shaved 6 dogs..... badly....
After 3 WEEKS of this she passes her. now, then, she comes back to my store thinking she a groomer (monster more like it) that cant groom her way outta paperbag!! Shes been grooming a year and can still barely cope. Its a travesty.

groommgr in New York said: I didn't charge any less. In fact, when I came to PetCo they were charging less! They didn't offer any add-ons or charge for special handling if needed and justified, etc., they did nothing but the basic groom price.

At PetSmart, the stipend is the answer for salon managers. Say your plan # for the week is $5000 and you actually pull in $7000. You will get a sliding scale bonus- or stipend. That stipend can go up to $1000 in one week. I had pulled in over $300 a number of times on top of making over $1000 for the week grooming and this was a well established salon before I became manager. There is also a quarterly bonus. In a new store, the plan numbers are very low so if you are in a good area and are a go-getter, you can really rake in the stipends. After 2 or 3 years, they adjust the plan numbers according to the past years and it becomes a little more difficult to pull that much in but if you get out on the floor and rub elbows and talk it up, you can still do it. Also, if you are a good salon and a good salon manager, word of mouth will increase your business. I had alot of tricks up my sleeve to increase business and it worked. Will I do that for PetCo? Hell no, it does not pay for me to do it. We are busy enough and I am making what I need to. I get no monetary rewards for increasing the numbers.

wow that is impressive to say the least. do they punish you tho if u dont make the #s? That would be my fear.... the pressure of failure! haha.
Yea petco doesnt reward you for anything. I feel bad b/c i know i could do better, but i feel like im spinning my wheels for no reason. They get pissed if your "assume the grooms" are below a %. But they dont give you anything for bringing them up. oh wait, you get a Caught Card. (lol)
Petco wants me to make flyers, call vets and shelters, etc etc. why is that my job? petco needs COMMERCIALS!!!
I know i could very well run my own salon if it were mine

Ya b4 I was the manager at my salon, no manager would charge for dematting or handling fees or dremel. they had not changed the prices in almost 7 years. I lost customers when i became the manager, to be honest, b/c i had everyone charge a decent price for the groom (no gouge, just fair for the work). all the groomers were terrified to charge for dematt!!
I feel like.... i dont know, im very frustrated indeed with petco. i have a ton of request customers tho and i like having the control i do have so i guess im scared to leave.

Geez I mised these last 2 posts! Hope you're still around, Notalent!
You are not punished at PS for not making plan. You get positve feedback on tips for making it better. You receive training and have monthly conference calls with other salon managers to share ideas.
We also lost some customers when I brought the prices up. I feel we are professionals and are entitled to what we charge. I have over 35 years in the animal work- be it rescue, shelter, volunteer, vet tech, etc so I am bringing alot of experience there for the owners and pets. I deserve to be paid properly. The people that appreciate the skills we have and the work we do, the experience, the time we take to educate, and our ability to handle even the most difficult dogs and turn them around, will pay and those are the customers we want and have kept. The bargain basement seeking people that jump around to whomever is cheapest can keep on going.
I never even got a Caught Card! (I would tell them where to put it anyways LOL) Numbers are up in all areas, P&P's are now being followed, customer service is higher than ever before, and what do we get? Threats of being written up for nonsense.
I am sticking it out because I have a good following now and there is not much better near by at this time. I love what I do, I just hate PetCo.

One other thing- just as I suspected, the computer and gathering email addresses for so called reminders of appointments was a bull story. We are getting customers in with coupons emailed to them for 10% off the groom. So that means a loss in my earnings. Many of these people are regular customers so the excuse they give - to get people to return- is pure bull. I can see if they offer something (but not take from the groomer) after a person has not been in for 5 or 6 months but not 60 days! Many grooms are done every 3 months!
Oh, the frustration is tremendous!

I worked for petco years ago. They didnt have a computer system, but it sounds like the old system with the cards was more sufficient. Im having a little trouble understanding some of your complaints of petco:
1) booking dogs: this is up to the groomers and bathers and whoever else is answering grooming phone calls/talking to grooming customers. Our scheduling differed depnding on the groomer, the GM would go in and qwrite how many dogs to book on a given day, and what time the groomer was there. we were all very skilled with sceduling, and were usually not overbooked (except for holidays when we had so many regulards that we all worked 12 hour days).

2) Book-A-bath, and other promotions. Anyone comlaining about BAB is not seeing it ot its full potential (or maybe they changed the way they let you do it). when i did it, they had a $19.99 sm brd, $24.99 Med brd, and $29.99 lrg brd. However, we had full control over which customers got the book a bath. I went through our entire customer index and only included short haired and otherwise easy dogs. I don't mind losing some money when the dog is easy to do, or one i have done before. i am not however doing a husky for 30 bucks. So i had probably 8 pages full of customers to call for book a baths, all chis, labs, pits, doxies, and other easy breeds. i actaully made more money when we had the BAB b/c we got a lot of old customers to come in , and i purposely booked them during slow days, so we had more to do and didnt take spots for the weekend. We never had any email coupons though, just the monthly pals one. if memory serves correctly, we didnt lose any commission on coupons, only discounts.
3) book next appointments: was the EASIEST theing about working for petco, and i became really good at it. all we did was a=offer 10 %off your next appnt, if you schedule it now. 5 tiomes out of ten this worked. We called the person the week of, made sure the appoint was still good, or resceduled

(with the discount still good). and losing 10% is really an afterthuoght, when you consider having regular clients is what will keep you in business.
4) Camparing PS and PC is really a stupid argument. They both are a crapshoot, it depend on what area you are in. Yes, our store sucked b/c the store manager knew nothing, they never rewarded us for anything, never upgraded our supplies, and were just a pain in the butt all the time. But our salon was awesome, we did well with what we had (which was the worst salon in the area, the only one to not be upgraded in over 10 years). the fact that management wasnt involved a lot was a good thing, imo, b/c from the way the store was handled (which the few nice employees usually bitched about in the grooming salon to us), they didnt know anything about anything. we did what we wanted, smiled and nodded when they "managed" us and continued doing what worked. i havent heard good things about petsmart, and they tend to be worse in my area than the petcos, which is why i laugh when people tell me how much better PS is. there are good stores and bad stores, good groomers and bad groomers. the only real benefit a groomer has a a corp is insurances/benefits. private salons usually will pay about the same, but most owners cant afford insurance for their employees.

Also, some people need to stop complaining about how much we are paid, and questioning the salary of this job when considering it for a career. you get into pet grooming b.c you love it, it is an art form, and you love helping something thats in terrible shape become beautiful again. the money at its peak is not great, and if a groomer is making over 80 grand a year, it's b/c that person is extremely hard working, and probably really talented (or a great scam artist). most do not make over 50-60, and most importantly, most people quit within 5 years b/c of how hard this job is. it is not something everyone can do, every day, for the rest of their lives as a career. in

in my years of grooming i have met only a handful that have been grooming for their whole lives. none of these people made a great living, or had lot of material possessions, or a big house, or nice car. but they did love what they did, and continued to do. and they never seemed to question how much it would pay, just knew it was what they were meant to do, and they'd do whatever worked to do it (one lived in a trailer for many many years, for example). even the one who was the most well off, was a woman who groomed poodles competitvely, handled poodles, bred min. poodles, and ran a poodle rescue. this woman had a milion things going on, and could still groom 25 poodle perfectly everyday. she made enough to keep everything going, and her hubands vet business helped with everything else (but besides their house, which wasnt a mansion, but large, they didnt have anything of complstely ridiculous value, and both drove prius's, prii?)

my point is that if you love grooming, and want to do it for a living, know that its very hard work (much harder than can be described through a computer screen, even through 3 pages of text), and usually will not pay what is deserved. the only way to be happy with it as a career it accept that, not spend your time thinking about how much you should be making or how much this dog is losing you. you have to love the dogs, and want to help them no matter what the owners are paying. so you get a person who will not spend more than 25 bucks for his lab, are you going to turn that dog away, or just do the dog. those who would turn it away are not the type of people who should be groomers.

Y'know I didn't care for your tone in the first two posts but the third has actually ticked me off.
I am always happy to work with people that have a dog that needs grooming but are unable to afford much. We have shaved dogs down for free when it is for the health and comfort of the dog. I have worked in rescue for my entire life and I took up grooming in order to help place rescued dogs. I groom cats for free for the rescue in the store and foster home them. Don't even try to make it sound like I am only in this for the money. And to answer your question- Yes- that person with the lab that would only pay $25 would be turned away. I will not cater to cheap people. I am not expecting to get rich but grooming is my only income and why should I not be paid for what I do? You said so yourself that is a difficult job- damn hard most days! Why would anyone work for pennies?

I love grooming, I love educating people, I love making the pets feel good, I love helping them all but I expect to get paid fair wages for what I do. If I do it for free or at a discount, that is at my discretion and my decision. PetCo can offer all the coupons they want and all the discouts but it should not come out of my pay!
My gripe is with the corp. I never saw such a poorly run corporation. PetSmart is much more successful than PetCo will ever be because they reward hard work and ambition, not take away every chance they can.
A grooming salon manager at PetSmart can make $100,000 a year without scamming anyone. It is simple smarts and ambition and because they reward you every week for good numbers, you go out and talk to people and have all your groomers do well. It is an ingenious way to run a corp salon. Real win-win situation.
So comparing PetSmart and PetCo is not ridiculous. There are corporations that do well because they are run by smart people and then you have PetCo, that is not doing well and is run very sloppy and offers no incentive for their employees.

...You seem to be very
Level-Headed" and do know the world of Grooming...I have been a Groomer for 28 years ...have owned my own Salon for 18 of those years..(and seem to be very sucessful)..The thing I seem to be missing is...(The Groomer from NY)..is the "attitude"???? I didnt catch a "Tone" with you at all....I happen to totally agree with everything you said,,,Jezzz I wish you could work for ME!!!! LOL What I have noticed...and this has all happened ever since these Big Corps. like P.S and P.C...have opened their doors to "Grooming"...is that they offer a % to Groomers ..that a private salon cannot contend with...which alot of these Nu-Be Groomers do not understand...Why should a private salon offer a percentage when the most Groomers who apply for a job at these private salons DO NOT have a Following...so therefore why offer a percentage when these customers are in fact the salons customers to begin with...I feel if a Groomer wants a percentage then they should have their own following and then split it with the shop owner..being they are using the salon ownwrs elc,shampoo,and equipment and location...like a hairdresser renting a chair in a salon....I find it VERY frustrating when a "Nu-Be" Groomer comes in for a job and asks for 50%!! And all this "Because" of these Big Corps. that make their money on the leashes collars & Bedding & cloths for pets & cages & toys etc etc...(Listen up Groomers "WE" dont get our hair done in a SUPER-MARKET!!!) Professional Groomers can make good money in a private Salon if they are Good at what they do!!!...Personally theses Corps. have confused the New Groomers-to- be....and "they" have also made it so that these groomers will NEVER know their FULL POTIENTAL as Professional Groomers....because of the way "they-think" a Grooming salon should be run. Brake it all down on paper...what do you REALLY make at P.S or P.C...

Hi Diane! I am confused! I was saying that "Lauren" ticked me off, not you! ????? Was I unclear?
Thanks for the compliments too!
I did work for a private salon for a time and actually the owner kind of mentored me. I had only groomed shelter dogs and cats as a volunteer to help move them out of the shelter and escape euthanization. I did, even as a newbie, get 50% commission. But I also ran the shop often when she took time off.
It can be very frustrating working for any corp. PS was not perfect, I was held back on some of my ideas but it was also a very rewarding job for me. I learned alot!
I would love to have my own salon. But when I consider the cost of rent, equipment, insurance, utilities, supplies and what not, I feel I am better off with a corp. Also, a corp provides benefits that would be cost prohibitive on my own. Even workman's comp! (great for when the old back goes out lifting a heavy dog!)
So after weighing the postives and negatives, financially, I cannot fathom having my own shop at this time. Now, if I could find a nice old rich man that wanted to make an investment, then YES! LOL

...LOL well If I find one I will fill ya in...Lmao!!! Hey were do you work...what town? I have a place on long Island...if you want here is my email address...maybe we could chat about Grooming..."Dalhse@aol.com" or if you have a questions about a Grooming...lol Hey ya never know...Groomers-helpin-Groomers...lol

Diane Im all for "nu-be" groomers having to work up from the bottom ( I do not think they should be able to charge as much as a groomer that has a lot of experience and talent) but your anti- p.c and p.s post is a little pretentious. Just because a groomer works at one of these places doesnt mean that they are not as good/better/worse than a private shop worker. It depends on the individual. I manage at a Petco right now because I dont have to worry about overhead, I dont have to worry about fighting with other groomers for dogs, Ive made over $40,000 this year so far and I have a guarenteed income and clientele. I agree with a lot of your post but just bcuz some one works at a private salon doesnt mean that they are a better groomer than one that chooses a corporation. Ive seen some horrific grooms and groomers come from private salons so private doesnt always mean better. And yes, I choose to make over %50. I feel like groomers should get over %50 since they are doing all the work. So why would a groomer go to a private salon that might only give them say %20? Without insurence, paid vacation, sick leave, 401k, and a guarenteed income? I know I know, "if your good then you build a clientele" ya I know but Im not gonna wait around for the shop owner to decide if they feel like paying me or not, giving me more dogs or not. I built a clientele with over 150 request customers at petco and i make %60.... SO THE MORAL OF MY STORY: A GOOD GROOMER IS A GOOD GROOMER. WORK WHERE YOU GET TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND GET PAID FOR IT! PRIVATE OR CORPORATE JUST FIND WHATS RIGHT FOR YOU. ;)
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And yes, petco and petsmart are very similar but exact opposites in the way they are ran.

New york. Do the managers in your store often give away free grooms when a customer does not feel like paying? Im having a problem with customers complaining to team leads about Bullsh*t to waesle outta paying. I dont see the point of a service authorization if its not enforced by the floor managers. Im not sure if they even have the right to interfere with my customers. I had a lady argue that she should pay less. No reason, just, she didnt want to pay $48 for her poodle. Even tho thats WHAT SHE PAID EVERY TIME!!! AHHHHHGGG. And a team lead took off like $8. I screamed at him about it and he says "well she was angry so I thought if I gave it to her she would leave, and I didnt think you would want me to bother you by asking you about it." I told him, who would you rather be angry with you? A customer you will never see again or me who you see daily??!!

I had a lady with a shih tzu with matted ears. She gets a #7 with a teddy head. I called her at home and told her she had 3 options: 1) shave them off with no additional fee. 2) leave them as-is #3) dematt them for an xtra $6. She chose dematt. She shows up for the dog and complains about having to pay for dematting and how shes not coming back. I told her she chose that option and we charge for the work we do, what, are we suppose to dematt for free? She says yes. I told her I do not work for free and that she needs to be responsible for the decisions she makes.