Pros
The company was good to me for most of my years, and I was able to climb from cashier to the department leadership positions in a reasonable amount of time. The rate at which you move upward is very dependent on those above you being terminated or leaving the company. Very inclusive at the store level, but this is also dependent on store lead. They value cross-training, and can give employees the chance to learn a variety of skills that look great on a resumé. Dog grooming, customer service, inventory management, stocking and freight processing. Your experience working here greatly depends on having a great store lead that listens to their associates and a district lead that isn’t overbearing. The store lead can make or break the culture of the location, but a good store lead can make this a great place to work.
Cons
The way the current restructure has been handled by corporate has shown that the company’s respect for employees has decreased. There are concerns for the direction the corporation is headed in terms of the treatment of employees at the store level, as many who worked hard and climbed the ladder into management, and/or have been in management positions for a few years, are receiving pay cuts or being let go due to the title changes. Hard work is not always valued or recognized, and your perceived value depends greatly on your direct management and ability to learn how to do your job with minimal assistance, as training is abysmal. You receive very little direct training before you’re tossed off the deep end and expected to swim. This goes for all management positions as well. Communication is severely lacking between corporate, higher management, and the rest of the store level team. Very little control is given at the store level. Corporate controls care standards for animals, all amounts and types product received, as well as merchandising layouts leaving very little room for creativity. Ideas or critical thinking are not often valued due to the rigid structure, but this can vary based on district lead or store lead. District leaders are often nitpicking a large number of little things at the same time, and pushing for things that are not achievable with the reduced number of labor hours provided to locations. This pressure is then placed on associates by a panicked store lead who is getting yelled at or scolded for every failure to meet metrics. Stores often schedule the bare minimum of associates (a remnant from COVID) which is not enough to complete all required tasks or effectively provide customer service. The animal involvement with the job can be incredibly hard on the conscience, especially when sales are being held over the wellbeing of the pets sold. Overall soul-sucking and exhausting as most retail jobs are.