Real Mixed Bag - Aquatics Specialist Petco Employee Review

2.0
Dec 13, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mostly pleasant work environment, opportunity to learn a lot about animals.

Cons

Reading other reviews on here, there is a common theme I can definitely relate to- Petco does not provide enough payroll to effectively run it's operations. It is both a one-stop pet supply store and a pet store with hundreds of animals to take care of. The store I work at generally has between 3-5 employees working at a time, including managers. Everyone is passionate about taking good care of our animals but we simply don't have the time to do it. It's not like if a customer asks us to help them learn how to set up an aquarium, we can say "No, I can't do that because these Bettas need water changes." The pressure that is put on the management from corporate is all related to sales and customer perception, and gives little consideration to actual animal care. The emotional toll from knowing that you could have saved an animal's life if you were actually given the time to do so, can be overwhelming, especially when it comes up again and again.

Explore other reviews about Petco

5.0
Feb 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good team and leadership at this location

Cons

Hours range from morning by to night

1.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Wonderful people under the Sr. Director level - Dogs in the office - Brand name carries weight on your resume

Cons

- Sr. Directors and above are largely nepotism hires rather than merit-based promotions - Leadership team is toxic and disrespectful, and that tone trickles down to other senior leaders - Gender favoritism shows up repeatedly, with women being asked to pick up the work of men without additional pay. Or men being promoted over women due to favoritism and not merit. - Nearly every employee I worked with was disengaged and functioning out of fear of layoffs rather than job satisfaction (layoffs happen multiple times a year) - The company's declining position also makes it harder to land your next role, since a recent Petco title now reads as coming from a struggling brand

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