Corporate dosen't seem to care about associates or animals. It's all about money to them and the salon associates because they have the potential to bring in more revenue. It all started when they went private a couple years back.
They had a whole week dedicated to salon associate appreciation and the core associates got nothing. We didn't get a week of appreciation although we have ran the store since the pandemic started and didn't get a few months off. They also had salon manager appreciation week and made them feel special while my other managers were forgotten and didn't get any recognition or a week dedicated to them. The store wouldn't run without the SL, ASL, MIL and CEL, but lets only recognize the salon managers... thanks corporate. It was a slap in the face for us having to watch one manager be glorified by corporate and then forced to write an encouraging note in a card for them about how much they matter to the company.
They give little hours and keep cutting labor although we are always busy. Staff are expected to work with a skeleton crew all the time. You're helping customers constantly and still being expected to get cleaning and stocking done in impossible time frames, which wouldn't be a problem if we were staffed properly. If they gave more hours it would help relieve some stress but they keep cutting them. Not to mention my SL make the schedules and does so to benefit himself. He schedules one manager and myself to work every single holiday and weekends while he gets the best shifts. He also has a tendency to spend several hours in the office each shift leaving us struggling on the floor and acting like needing his help is killing him.
Associates care about the animals and do our best with what is provided but are forced to sell them to customers who will not provide proper care. It's policy to refuse a sale if we feel the customer is unfit, but you can face consequences if we do because corporate will get upset about a bad customer review. They also go with animal vendors that send animal too young and sick/dying and act like they don't know it's happening.
I loved my job pre-covid and even had the goal of becoming an assistant manager, but this past year I was miserable EVERY SINGLE DAY I had to work. I would literally cry on my way down the highway because I was so over this company. Between the stress of being constantly short staffed and corporates negligence has me to find employment elsewhere.
