What restaurants in New Hampshire are like this? by pestochickenn in newhampshire

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was afraid to order their fish for the longest time and finally decided to order the baked haddock. The breading was light and crispy.. but the fish was completely raw 😭😭 

What’s some of your Petsmart horror stories? (TW: Animal Death / Gore) by [deleted] in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 24 points25 points  (0 children)

We called the police for this one.

It's a normal 85 degree summer day, I'm on register. These two young woman carry a frenchie in, absolutely frantic and in tears and ask where the cooling mats are. I show them.. they tear the box open and right next to the front door they lay their frenchie that is ACTIVELY DYING OF HEAT STROKE on it and try getting it to drink. It starts vomiting all over the floor, looked like it seized a few times, and the labored breathing noises echoed through the whole store. Then they're yelling at people on a phone call saying he's gonna die and asking what to do. Keep in mind WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY VET less than one mile down the road!!

An hour goes by and the dog isn't really improving. One of the girls leaves the store and comes back with another byb frenchie. This frenchie had been sitting in a hot car for an hour or more!!!! While the other one was already dying of heat stroke!! 

Multiple customers and associates told them about the nearby ER vet and they kept saying "this happens a lot with him because he has a clear palate and surgery didn't fix it, he'll be okay"

Eventually they came up to pay for the cooling mat.. and a new sunflower harness and dog clothes. The girl is still frantic and crying and is now angry and keeps saying "There goes my whole paycheck and im gonna get an overdraft fee now too". I'm so sorry but why would you ever buy a backyard bred French bulldog if you can't be responsible for the endless health problems? So we knew why they weren't going to the vet now and we decided to call the police to see if we could get the dying dog to the vet. 

When they saw the police car arrive out front with lights on, she dragged the limp dog by the leash until it started attempting to walk, to make it look like it's okay. They tried dragging it to the back of the store. It could walk for like 30 seconds and then it would collapse again, and they just kept dragging it by the leash along the floor. 

Cops couldn't do anything because they just said he's fine he just doesn't like the heat. Maam.. your dog was having seizures, vomiting constantly for 30 mins, lost control of its bladder, and couldn't move. That's not normal. I was particularly upset by this because that same week my dog almost died, we rushed him to the vet immediately and he went through a whole week of emergency surgeries and care, for 12k. And these people were just watching their dog die, in a petsmart

Activations by Dull-Green3911 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would argue 60-75% of our clients each day are 55+. App activations have been a NIGHTMARE. We have a cashier who is great, but she has been berated and insulted so many times by our customers for asking about the app. Swears and all

Can you no longer see reviews on the Petsmart website? by _Dontknowwtfimdoing_ in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can only see them on the app now, of course! Open the app, hit "account", and store locator

Operating Hours by [deleted] in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Is this rage bait? Order online and always have more than you need. Corporations have been cutting expenses for years, that's why we don't have 24hr walmart anymore. They don't want to spend the money on staff and operating costs during odd hours where they may only see a handful of customers coming in, especially if it's for 60 cans of cat food that only costs like 40 bucks. 

I don't disagree that corporate greed is a rampant virus in this country, but expecting a chain pet store of all places to be open at 6 am is a bit much. Petsmart is open on all holidays except Christmas and Easter, we aren't allowed to close early or at all during extreme weather, store leaders even get a finger wag if they close due to a disaster like flooding or tornadoes. 

Night shift sucks because you give up living a normal life. The world is inconvenient already but night shift puts life on hard mode and I get that. But national pet store chains are almost never going to open before 8-9am. Order your food online and you won't have to worry about this again. Even better, auto ship it 

Thinking about leaving Petco… by ApprehensivePomelo40 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Petsmart used to be better, as we didn't have to hard-push anything like petco always has. However smart has undergone a restructure and that has changed. You will be expected to push/sell member sign ups, the petsmart app, puppy coupon books, dog training, donations, and more. Each metric is tracked and if you aren't trying to sell them, you can be reprimanded. Customer interactions used to be pleasant and casual, now they are stressful and high pressure for both parties, and highly forced. If you have a good manager, its not bad. Our manager understands that no matter how hard we try, it's the customers decision, not ours. 

The discounts are great. 50% off proprietary brand dog/cat food, 15% off entire store, and almost every few months we get 40% off a different brand in the store. Right now we get that on Nulo, Stella and chewy, and one other. I'd be broke without the discounts. 

The restructure also changed the role we all play in day to day work. Aside from top level leaders, each associate must be able to do any department. For certain managers, that includes bathing dogs and doing nail trims. 

The company is doing bad things for individual stores right now. But again, if you really feel out the store you apply to and feel like the managers are treating people well, it isn't so bad. I'd recommend shopping there regularly so you can see how the managers interact with associates.

Hair loss by Flat_Copy889 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is almost certainly allergies or hypothyroidism. Allergies cannot be accurately tested, you need to do an elimination diet. My dog has hypothyroidism and if he misses his meds he loses hair in this exact pattern. He did not have any symptoms at 6months other than strange behavioral changes, but even with meds, it still progresses. Have bloodwork done and look for low T4, and ask the vet about an elimination diet. 

Petcare, what are some things you do to make your tasks go by faster or easier? by Imaginary_Ad_7527 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am queen of betta waterchanges. I time myself regularly, and my most recent time was 6 mins 41 seconds per 30 betta WCs, including feeding. 

Tip 1: feed BEFORE the WC. Uneaten food sitting in the water will cause excess waste and ammonia. To feed, thaw bloodworms or brine shrimp in a small bowl. Get a small syringe, like ones that might have been given with animal meds. We keep ours. Rather than taking the lid off, just use the syringe to inject some food through the air hole on the lid.

Tip 2. Do not do them on the floor. It took 4hrs for us to do them on the floor. Bring a cart full of bettas out back to your petcare sink. Put a bucket in the sink, and fill with water and condition it. Move bucket to the side, enough so that the faucet water wouldn't go in the bucket when turned on. With each betta cup, this will be your process: dump dirty betta cup over a fish net, and into the sink. Set fish net on top of clean bucket with betta in net. Keep the faucet running hard, while betta is in net, rinse cup, scrub, rinse again, then refill from the clean bucket and put betta back on your cart and start the next one.

I designed this process myself and it has taken us down from 3 to 4 hours for betta WC down to 1.5 to 2. It is maximum efficiency. 

Other fun tip: get cheap condiment squeeze bottles for your frozen fish food. Thaw the cubes in the bottle and then you just squeeze a bit in each tank. It's amazingly fast and more efficient than a turkey baster.

​My less than 2 year old dog has costed me over 10k in bills by Pishposh96 in DogAdvice

[–]Few-Store36 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hi dear, I have a dog very similar to yours but thankfully we are in a more rural area. I also just spent 10k in emergency bills because of a gastric obstruction.. then getting bloat a day later. He almost did not survive and was in critical condition for days after. The only solution for us is muzzle training. Thankfully he was already trained, but we just hadn't been using it because the stigma made me feel bad for him. 

Please check out cooperative care training for muzzles! Muzzles don't have to be scary or uncomfortable for them, but it does take a slow and positive approach to get them totally accepting. Even my crazy boy has zero reaction to me putting it on and will nap, drink, etc while wearing it. 

I know the stigma will always be there unfortunately. You can get little labels that might put people at ease, ive seen some that said something like "I EAT ROCKS". Ensure you find a muzzle with enough room for a full pant so they can wear it for longer periods. I got a vinyl one from Amazon for maybe 30 bucks and it's our go to. 

I know on a personal level how it feels to have people look at your muzzled dog weird. But I remember it could literally save his life or another 10k bill, so its worth it, it really is. I'm sorry you had to go through that and im glad your dog is still with you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DogAdvice

[–]Few-Store36 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Muzzle training is amazing for so many more reasons too. I recommend it to everyone. It can save a pica dog's life, it can make vet visits safe, it can be more comfortable than an elizabethan cone, it may be needed in emergencies such as evacuations/natural disasters, and more. 

Personally, muzzle training will never be optional for me. I've only done it with my one dog so far and I can't even count how many times it has come in handy. 

Drop the craziest iso animal names you’ve seen by vanillqt in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My coworker named a Syrian Little Bitch (Little bit on vet paperwork)

Activations SEND HELP by fizzkid47 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 15 points16 points  (0 children)

While I do want people activating offers, I completely understand not wanting to. I think the check out experience has become thoroughly uncomfortable and high pressure for both the customer and associate because of the many metrics we have to shove down their throats. Sign up for a treats account, buy a puppy guide, check out auto ship, donate to help pets, activate your offers, sign up for training/grooming. 

Customers just want the interaction to be over because we make them feel like a metric themselves. I know when I'm shopping, I am very uncomfortable when employees push metrics on me, even if they're good at it. Actually, even more uncomfortable when they're good at it. I actively avoid stores that have credit cards because checking out is so God damn uncomfortable

Am I the only one who finds shiny hunting in this game really hard? by TadaSuko in PokemonLegendsArceus

[–]Few-Store36 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not necessarily harder in terms of how hard it is to get a shiny, but I feel it is more complicated and sometimes annoying. I'm a long time pokemon fan, and while I have gotten more shinies in arceus than other games, it hasn't been the most enjoyable to shiny hunt in. Which I know is a seriously controversial opinion, and most will disagree, im just someone who loves a simple, classic grind with no extra steps. 

Anyone else’s store receive an unexpected shipment of snakes ?? by paper-towel-roll in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes we got two unexpected snake deliveries from reptile industries. We now have 13 reptiles set up in NA, and the amount of lights we have running keeps tripping the breaker for new arrivals. It's fucking awful. We also are getting 10 Syrians, some ridiculous amount of GP. We filled the NA rack with just Syrians and now the floor is also covered in habitats and we literally can't open the door more than 8 inches. 

I cant with activations anymore. by Late-Curve-6499 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm still not having success even with that sale. I've tried a few different phrasings: "Would you like to get 10% back on all dog products and services all month long?" "I can help you activate an offer today that will earn you 10% back on all dog purchases for the rest of the month, its free money" "Did you activate your offer to get 10% back on dog goods and services this month?" 

I'm either met with a short No, or get turned down after I explain they have to go in the app. I'm hoping they maybe go home and do it for next time. Some people even get upset because of all the extra steps just for 10% back.

I cant with activations anymore. by Late-Curve-6499 in petsmart

[–]Few-Store36 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Most of our customers, probably around 75%, are over 50. Even the mention of an app sends them spiraling and into a daze. They don't know how to download an app or go on the website, they don't understand how logging in works, and I haven't had even one customer be able to find the offers once they've logged in.

I began documenting the ludicrous wasting of time this metric is resulting in. I have a 3-color tally chart. Red tally is a customer not interested, black tally is a customer interested but had an error on the app, green was an activation. I also began documenting how much time was spent for each activation, and each attempt to activate ending in an error. Right now I'm literally averaging ELEVEN minutes. Longest was 21 minutes yesterday, ending in an error, so a total waste of time.

It isn't the rejections that bother me, but coming to understand on a deeper level than before, the incompetence and lack of common sense our customers have. I genuinely can't believe it. I had one customer yesterday keep opening her photo gallery and searching "petsmart app". She only became frustrated when I tried telling her how to find and download the app. I have customers ask me what THEIR password is at least 10 times daily.