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My 10 hour employment at a chain pet store

In reality its not the employee's fault. Its just a job for most of them (I mean how involved are you going to get for 7.50 an hour?)

My major problem is that they don't know anything about anything. And really, how knowledgeable of a person are you going to get for that price?

I can understand the cooperate thought behind it, but I also don't think that they should sell animals that are harder to take care of. Its just irresponsible IMO. They sell exotics under 100 bucks which makes them an impulse buy. Animals should never be impulse buys.
 
I'm so glad I have a small, local chain petstore close to us. The staff all know us on sight and call us their favourite customers! The store is clean, the animals are well cared for and the people who work there are freaks like us (especially the Goth chick). They are great to work with. They keep a constant colony of breeder mice and rats, usually three or four groups of 1.2.

We only shop at Petco for supplies, not animals.
 
Preita said:
In reality its not the employee's fault. Its just a job for most of them (I mean how involved are you going to get for 7.50 an hour?)

My major problem is that they don't know anything about anything. And really, how knowledgeable of a person are you going to get for that price?

I can understand the cooperate thought behind it, but I also don't think that they should sell animals that are harder to take care of. Its just irresponsible IMO. They sell exotics under 100 bucks which makes them an impulse buy. Animals should never be impulse buys.
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How about those of us that know what we're talking about but we're not allowed to say anything? And $7.50 isn't worth doing a good job for? I make minimum wage at the zoo ($5.15, but who's counting) and I work my *** off. Yeah, there are some morons out there that work at these pet shops, but I'm starting to think more and more that people often just don't have a choice.
 
TrpnBils said:
How about those of us that know what we're talking about but we're not allowed to say anything? And $7.50 isn't worth doing a good job for? I make minimum wage at the zoo ($5.15, but who's counting) and I work my *** off. Yeah, there are some morons out there that work at these pet shops, but I'm starting to think more and more that people often just don't have a choice.
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I know how you feel. You WANT to do a good job and make sure that the animals are healthy, happy, and go to good homes. I don't know why they have a "don't inform" policy, it seems odd to not have the animals best intrests in mind if you are a PET STORE.

I can also see it from another aspect, I mean if an employee offers advice that isn't correct (even for a particular situation) the company can be held liable for that advice.

It really does suck. Usually unless the buyer is knowable its a loose/loose for the animal.
 
I worked at Pet co for about a year and I must say, my experience was quite different. Everyone that worked with the animals was an expert on whichever section they were in (I was aquatics and small animals) we all cared deeply for our "pets" as they were considered while they were with us. We all had favorites and they had names and were given treats and carried around with us while we worked. If we felt that someone was not going to care for them properly, we were allowed to deny them purchase, I did this on numerous occasions. We were encouraged to tell people all the negative traits an animal might have so that they were prepared to make an informed decision. Basically we were told to give people as much information as we could to make sure they knew what they were getting into. My aquatics manager would even draw people diagrams!

All that being said, the employees and the management at that store now are a bunch of idiots and I couldn't guarantee that it is the same. Petsmart? Well, Petsmart has always sucked.
 
I can't even comment on the PetCo that I have frequented. I happen to go to the one where the people could not find their way out a paper bag with the bottom torn out of it, about as sharp as a melted crayon those people. Sure there are one or two people there that know something, but I don't think it is enough to have the animal live a very healthy life.. go figure...

Regards...
 
PetSmart and Pets Supply Plus

The PetSmart where I worked in Northeast, OH just "Resign or be Fired" the manager for whom I had worked :roflmao: This store went over 2 months without furry critters with no employees having a clue as to why *yea, right*. Now they are selling furry critters, again.
All Pet Supply Plus stores that used to sell rats (in the front of the store with the hamsters, guinea pigs, bunnies, ferrets) now sell them from behind the employee doors in the back of the store, if you say that you know that they are there.
*People working for such a company may not make $45+K/yr but it is stereotypical to assume that these people do not 'know their stuff'.*
(read my reply earlier in this thread)
I am now a CDL-A driver to make my necessary $ and keep my 'petstore quality knowledge' happy in my home with 28 critters and a daughter. I used to be an equine anesthesiologist--so much fun yet so much knowledge and pressure obviously needed to keep the animal alive--only made $16,000/yr. Years before that I worked at a zoo--so much fun and so demanding a schedule-- made under $10,000/yr
 
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