Slow Boil - Pet Training Instructor PetSmart Employee Review

False promises at hiring (No benefits as was promised such as Medical) Hired as a Pet trainer so that current trainer did not work back to back, yet I have only Sunday and Monday classes and work 80% of the time as a cashier and product recovery, and they are told they need 3 trainers per each store. Current customers who are seniors complain that there are no daytime classes and morning weekday classes as they do not like coming out on weekends reserved for family outings or at night because they are seniors. Management was advised of the requests...but will not create such time frames as it does not follow the prescribed P&P for training classes and because if the sales quotas are not filled it cuts back trainers hours. Lead trainer wants all of the commission for themselves and so schedules 90% of classes for them. Incentive to sell classes is lowered since one gets no commission for the "sale" of classes only if they are taught by you. Resentment for selling classes for someone else commissions using your information and talent and knowledge to bring them into training.. Was Pet care certified to assist with pet care which is always pressured, yet not really trained was given a book to read and take a test on...mainly so one can back up catching crickets or fish....yet I spend a fair amount of time educating owners in small pet care for their pets. Mind you I am probably more well versed in animal care in general as I am a certified Veterinary technician by education with 20 years of veterinary clinic experience. I rescued a reptile because of feeding practice based on P&P, due to underfeeding of babies they tend to "eat" each other due to having many in a small tank. Feeding crickets just once a day is a bit disturbing for babies who need to eat several times a day. I am not Splash certified, but have assisted groomers with restraint. Of course I am probably better versed in such matters anyway as I have owned and operated a Boarding facility for 20+ years. Protocol of the "shave down" makes more money in time for groomers but gets a lot of dissatisfied customers who are horrified on getting a dog that is shaved down with a #10 blade for a "few" matted areas which can happen in any coated or double coated breed that any "real" groomer should be able to remove without much fuss in no time. There needs to be more groomers trained in correct "breed" appearance for grooming not applying shave downs as was done to a Scottish Terrier puppy who I referred that thought they would be getting a breed specific grooming. Shaving any Terrier breed should be a Not Ever kind of thing as it changes correct coat type. Groomers should be trained in proper animal handling skills to get toenail trims done. Less restraint issues would happen if they were taught that pulling legs away from the body instead of keeping them under the dog would result in less tug of war games. As with any job there is lots of disgruntled workers and customers which is what a service industry always has to deal with. But the care and concerns of employees is drastically lacking in this particular store with low morale and a high turn-over rate in the short year I have worked there. Only managers get full time, and it seems preferential hiring is given to "kids" who often have a poor work ethic that call in sick, or fail to show up for scheduled shifts. One senior employee has not had a review in the 4 years they have worked there, I have not had any formal reviews except the one brief period in which I was told I was past my 90 days. I have seen a 10, 15, 13 cent raise. Apparently policy to is waste management and staff time to constantly retrain new hires on recovery and cashiering. So much energy and cohesiveness is lost when senior employees who would like more than a 3-10 hour week are left by the wayside with more new hires to train and retrain that they in turn leave to take other positions that offer more hours to them. Anyone who has owned any business knows it cost time and money to constantly retrain new workers, time which would be better spent in bettering services or building a good communication and morale with current workers for a better store.