They would rather hire outside people without knowledge/experience than promote hard workers - Petcare Specialist PetSmart Employee Review

2.0
May 29, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The primary reason I still work at PetSmart is the animals. I do have a lot of regular customers that ask for me personally and I do enjoy helping most of the customers that come in the store.

Cons

If you are hired in at a low level, you will never be promoted higher than maybe a lead position. Pet Care there is a lot to do every day, all day. It is a lot of hard work with very little assistance from other departments, yet they are expected to cover other areas in the store making it very difficult to complete daily duties and provide proper customer service. The down side to others helping in Pet Care is lack of training and knowledge which can result in improper information given to customers which can have bad results when they purchase live animals without clear understanding of their needs and care. Training for all areas and positions are minimal at best. Most of the managers have very little experience, if any, and most are outside hires, very rare to find a manager that was promoted to the position. Pay is low and so are the raises.

Explore other reviews about PetSmart

5.0
Jun 5, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very good relationship with colleague

Cons

Not very flexible on work times

avatar
PetSmart Response
2w
We're happy to hear you enjoyed working with us, thanks for taking the time!
3.0
Jun 27, 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
2d
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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