Extreme rudeness at Petsmart

What a baby you are! Isn't it funny that the customers who ALWAYS
have the most outlandish complaints are the ones who come in and
spends hundreds of dollars??? (so they say) I bet he comes in and buys
.15 feeder fish.

you neeed to get a life. thats not what they are PAID to do. theyre
paid to cash ur stuff out. get a job there and see how it is.
seriously.

I suspect this post is flame bait, but here goes. I actually wrote a
letter to PetsMart years ago for the annoying checkout questions they
used to ask at our store: How many dogs do you have? What kind are
they? Do they all get along? How many cats do you have? Do they get
along with the dogs?

It was the same thing every day we went in. The 30th time you heard
the same question left you with the feeling that PetsMart employees
could care less about your pets, but were being told to act like they
did.

I personally feel that I should be able to find an employee when I
need one, and they should be able to perform basic store services. I'm
not partial to tripping over sales associates every five minutes
personally.

You want a little cheese with that whine? If you think that this is
being rude, you have no idea what rude is. You are (presumably) an
adult, if you want help, open your mouth and ask them. Or are they
supposed to read your mind? As for their not welcoming you to
Petsmart, did it ever occur to you that not all stores have greeters?
Sometimes retail staff have more pressing things to attend to than
rush to greet every person who walks in the door. And so what if the
cashier didn't say "Have a nice day"? Maybe she was tired, for crying
out loud. If you find all this so offensive, you need to grow a
thicker skin.

Somehow I think that if each employee you passed had greeted you and
asked if you needed help, then you would have been on here complaining
that they won't leave you alone to do your shopping. Retail workers
can't win for loosing.

The SE District Region has huge management problems that ride all the
way up to the HR Director. I relocated for the company at my own
expense and quit within two months. My position was Operations
Manager. The Corporate Bed Heads need to get their noses from the sky
and tighten the noose a bit on their politically driven district and
store managers. Store Manager = manages freight AND people, both of
these are corollaries, you can't have one without the other. One can
fake men for awhile but reality can never be faked!

The rudeness is an effect of Petsmart's core changes. By the time this
trickles up to corporate, it won't matter then.

The SE District Region has huge management problems that ride all the
way up to the HR Director. I relocated for the company at my own
expense and quit within two months. My position was Operations
Manager. The Corporate Bed Heads need to get their noses from the sky
and tighten the noose a bit on their politically driven district and
store managers. Store Manager = manages freight AND people, both of
these are corollaries, you can't have one without the other. One can
fake men for awhile but reality can never be faked!

conners@ntelos.net

umm.. it doesn't always happen. like seriously, do not get mad so
easily. you know theres not only those certain and only ppl that work
there, like seriously, ther are LOTS more. and also like you said, u
usualy spend more than $100 or something at petsmart and when u
shopped there frequently before, did they say " Good Day?" or " Did it
go alright?" or whatever? so as I was saying there aren't ONLY nice
ppl around,( which I really wish there only was..) but you have to
live through it. Yes you passed them and all, but sometimes when you
walk past ppl they don't notice you. But your also right, they should
have noticed you and ATLEAST said how's it doing or SERIOUSLY
ATLEAST.. hello. but people arne't like you think. But than again
think about it, and try shopping there again, maybe there will be
different people? and if no one says anything to you and your at the
cashier and she/he doesnt say anything or even does, try complaining
and tell her what happened. as in, noone said anything and stuff. try
it. and contact me here : xoxjudyxox@hotmail.com if anything good
OR bad happens. please try it for me. I'm just 12 and this is my best
writing and thought advice i think i ever said. Well good luck!

-Judy

lol. Sure showing your customers you care is a good buisness practice
and essential to keep them coming back. But I have a feelimg that even
if everyone in the store threw rose petals down at your feet and
banged drums for you that the one person at the door would have pissed
you off still and I would still be reading this same post. The girl at
the register should be fired I agree but for crying out loud it is a
pet store not Macey's. It is really quite simple, you go in get what
you need, browse and walk around. If you cant find something you ask.
Were you there for a party or to have a good time or something? I cant
stand when I go into a store and have 80 people askin me questions.
Like that waitress who always asks you how your food is when your
mouth is full. I wanna be left alone while I shop. You sound like an
old lady. I could understand if maybe you asked a question and they
were rude but you are crying because you didn't feel "special", and
you posted about it. Would you stop going to a grocerie store because
the deli clerk didn't ask you how you wanted your ham cut?Piss off
buddy and get your head outta your ass. "Top notch customer service"
can only be provided if you ask for service. Maybe you need to jump up
and down with a big sign that says "pay attention to me, I'm a paying
customer!" And maybe the girl at the register didn't like you and
didn't want you to have a nice day. Or would you rather her pretend to
like you? She gets paid to take your money. Plain and simple.What do
you want from a bunch of high school kids working for 6.50 an hour
anyhow? What you should be doing is supporting local buisnesses. That
is where you went wrong. So that solves your problem, buy local.

I am so sorry they were like that. My petsmart is awesome in this
area.. Many of the cashiers know me as I'm there often. They always
greet me and when I don't have my dog with me they ask how she's
doing..
Do you have a petco in your area? Maybe they'll have a better
attitude and better service.

Okay...how to start? Oh, I know...IT WAS A WEEKEND!!! My boyfriend
used to work at Petsmart, actually the Petsmart in Warner Robins to be
exact. So I do know exactly how hard it is to get help on the weekend.
It was proly busy as all hell. There are only so many associates in
the store. And to top the cake, a place like Petsmart is not like a
clothing store. Most of the employees are teaching people about the
animals before they actually buy they. My boyfriend used to work in
the specialty department. You know, the fish and lizards and turtles.
He would spend on average about 20 to 30 minutes with just one
customer alone! He had to teach them how to care for their new member
of the family, along with pack them up for the journey home. It's not
as easy as you may think it is.
And as for the cashier not wanting to conversate with you? You need to
get over yourself. I know from experience that when it's busy like
that in a store, all you want to do is get the customer out of the
store so you can help the next one. I think you'll survive after just
ONE employee didn't tell you to have a good day. Maybe she wanted you
to have a crappy day. If that was the case, then she got her wish
because you are a dick.
So here's a question to you...where are you going to get your pet
supplies now? Walmart and all of the other pet stores in Warner Robins
don't have nearly as much stuff as Petsmart does. Oh well, at least
that's one whiny bitch they don't need to worry about. It's people
like you that made my boyfriend get out of work 2 or 3 hours late so
he could bow down to you and wipe your nose when you needed it.

What were you expecting? Trumpeters, dancing ladys, & the red carpet
to be rolled out upon you're arrival????

Grow up & get over yourself.

Oh, cheer up, emo kid.

Maybe the staff where doing what they're paid to do, like um....
hmm... WORKING.

The whole world doesn't revolve around you.

1: Petsmart is not Walmart. Please dont cry if someone doesn't say hi
to you.
2: The employees you passed in the aisles were probably busy with
something else and, yes, didnt CARE if you found what you were looking
for.
3: STOP THE DRAMATIC ACT!!!! You were "deeply offended" when you
weren't greeted?

I actually work at PetsMart(I'm a grooming salon manager) and I
swear that this letter sounds like it comes from someone who works for
the company and is tired of all the directives we get to greet
customers (I can be written up if I don't greet a customers in 15
seconds, even if I'm in the back bathing a dog when they come in and I
take 30 seconds to secure the dog in a kennel for it's safety), ask
them if they need help, even if they obviously know what they want and
where it is and other equally bothersome stuff.

Oh, and I actually am paid to tell people to have a nice day.
Conversly, my pay is docked when I call someone a poopy head. (Ok,
that whole paragraph is a big fat lie, which seemed obvious to me, but
I didn't want anyone to take it seriously)

I could add to the original letter myself:

I went to PetsMart today to get my dog groomed and even though I don't
really know what kind of haircut my dog is supposed to get per it's
breed and even though I waved my hand vaguely and said 'Oh, do
whatever you want' when asked what kind of groom I would like on my
dog, I was shocked and horrified when uopn my return when my cocker
spaniel had a cocker spaniel cut on it and it turns out I don't like
it.

Someone's got entitlement issues, lol... Did you need help? Well, if
you did, did you bother asking? Oh, and how was YOUR attitude, hmmm?


Sorcha

I hope you're treating your fish tank especially well - I hear they
require extra attention.

Here's a thought, get a friend. Why would any stranger in a store,
whether they work there or not, really care if you have a nice day?
Are you really that vulnerable that you need people in large chain
stores to pretend like they like you? I really doubt that they are
'PAID' to tell you to have a nice day. They are paid to sell items and
answer questions that you ASK. I have a feeling that if you looked at
one of the employees and said you needed help they would have helped
you and acted nicely.
By the way, just to give you perspective, $100 a trip is chump change
and does not guarantee you 'loyal customer' status. Now if you ran a
kennel and spent $1000 a week I am sure they would all pretend to be
your bestest buddy in the whole world while you were there.

Let me guess...your dogs sh*t doesn't stink either.

The cashier should have been nicer but who do you think you are in
expecting everyone there to wait on you hand and foot. Get over
yourself. I guess your pets will have to starve now. Get a grip!!!

Not being greeted at a store is not rudeness, maybe the staff was
busy. In your post you say that five different employees crossed your
path, why didn't you simply ask one of them for help? I have shopped
at countless places, and in many of them the staff has not greeted me.
If I needed help, I walked a little until I found an employee. NOT
ONCE was I refused service. Sometimes, I was in the wrong department
or the employee wasn't familiar with what I was looking for, even then
the employee would find an intercom or take me to another staff member
who would be able to help me. These people can't read your mind. If
you need help, just ask.

Personally, I don't like to be stalked in stores. I feel umcomfertable
when I'm asked for the 18th time if I need help. How many people were
in the store other than you? What were the workers doing? If they were
stocking shelves then it's not their job to say hello. If they were
with a customer then they're too busy. What if you were talking to a
represenative when another person walked by and your represenative
turned away from you and asked the other person if they needed help?
Would you complain then or would you think it was good customer
service? Is this the only time it has happened? I mean, if you've gone
there so many times and this is the only time it has happened, then
you know that it is not the normal attitude of the employees.

Someone actually told me this at work today and it reminded me of this
letter. We were swamped and there was no one available to hold her
hand as she shopped. She told me that she didn't feel like a welcome
'guest' in my store.

Whoever came up with the idea that 'customers should be treated like
guests in our homes' should be shot. Customers are not guests, they
are customers and the store sure isn't my home, it's my place of work.
If customers were guests and the store my home, then my 'guests' would
have to abide by a few simply rules or never be welcomed back.

Among other things, they would have manners enough to pick up after
themselves, return things to their proper place, wait their turn and
if they needed something, either get it for themselves or ask politely
for help. Some of my rules are my personal preferences and others are
rules that I simply have to enforce and have no say over. In retail
speak, that means returns, exchanges and sale prices.

These are just a few reasons why customers are not my guests, but my
customers. I treat them the way I prefer to be treated, though at
times I am tempted to treat them the way they treat me. :)

Oh, and Mohammed, I'm sorry, I've tried to resist the obvious, but if
you really needed a clerk to help you find something, well honey,
sometimes Mohammed has to go to the mountain because the mountain
won't come to him. Clerks aren't mind readers. If you need help, find
one and ask.

They usually do treat people pretty nice. I go in and they address me
by name, after two trumpeters and a red carpet get rolled out. They
announce over the PA system that I have arrived so everyone can drop
what they're doing.They even pet my dog and give him treats!!!!....
NOT. This has been a test of the sarcasm emergency system this was
just a test...

It's A holiday weekend, they get skeleton shifts so they don't have to
pay double time to the trained employees. The company gets its cake
and the "Emergency Pet Product Purchasing Population" gets to get what
they so desperately need, albeit with lower class service...but the
emergency is solved!!!!!! You DID get what you went in for I take
it???

Next time go in with sunglasses and a white cane and they'll be sure
to take you directly to the products you need...even offer to take
them to your car. Gotta think these things through.. with a little
inginuity on your part you CAN get the Attention you so CRAVE.

And to think our soldiers are putting their life in peril to give you
the opportunity to enjoy your freedom and rights and liberty to shop
without worrying about errant enemy missiles or freindly fire. And on
a weekend set aside to thank them, you're complaining about this
stuff???? Seems a bit silly, huh, Mohamed?

When employees do that to me when I shop, I get annoyed.

We the customers are always right, even if we are wrong. Power to the
customer, for without us your business would cease to exist!

"Extreme rudeness"? "Deeply offended"? What hypberbole, not to
mention an attitude of entitlement.

Did you find what you needed/wanted? I'm guessing you did, you just
wanted to be ASKED that, even though you didn't need the help. Get
over yourself already.

When I worked retail, sometimes I was so engrossed in thought ("How
should this display be set up?" "How can I re-work these four
rounders of clothes so that the clearance signs will be the most
accurate?" "If I move these here, and move those over there, does
that work with the new seasonal stuff that is coming in on the truck
tonight?") that I sometimes was oblivious to customers. However, even
though I was "backstage" (marked items down to clearance, set up
sales, etc.) and not in the actual sales end, if a customer asked for
help, I stopped everything I was doing and did whatever I could to
help them out, and they appreciated that.

And you, sir, would not have deserved that treatment. "Will not be
setting foot inside a Petsmart store again?" Lucky Petsmart. Please
stay out of my Petcos.

Guess they forgot to whipe their noses too, after talking with you, I
bet they all had brown noses!

Or, at least that's what you wish they had.

This is one of the most ridiculous letters I've ever read on PFB. Was
there something you were looking for that you couldn't find or is it
simply a matter that you don't feel you were treated with the respect
you deserve? And I'm completely "uberly" shocked that you weren't
told to have a nice day - - sounds like grounds for a class action
lawsuit.

Get over yourself - - it's PetsMart for crying out loud.

HAHAHAHAHA! I'm glad I don't have a store you frequent! Holy cow,
WHO does please you?

This must be a joke. No way would anyone in their right mind post
this "complaint".

Grow up kids.

What color is the sky in your world?

Having worked retail for practically my entire life (my dad owns an
antique store) I can understand the frustration of the consumer. There
are times when I have gone into other retail establishments and felt
unwelcome. However, since Petsmart is kind of like Target, a big
massive store you do not expect that same type of customer service
that a smaller local pet store might provide. While it is nice to be
greeted, it is not mandatory. I do believe that greeting people
provide better service sometimes it is simply impossible to great
every person. I want to know, was the store busy? If so maybe everyone
was helping someone else. It can happen. As what other posters have
said, it is not usually in a person's job description to tell someone
to have a nice day. Yes it is usually customary, however it is not
required. If I were the writer of this letter, I would give Petsmart
another try and if it still is a problem simply choose not to
patronage the store. I think retail gets a bad wrap. If a person is
simply having a bad day and doesn't perform as well at their job (it
happens to everyone) consumers often write a nasty letter to a
company. It is often impossible to please everyone.

Should they have offered you free valet parking, a massage and your
own personal shopper?

What a %&#*$ sense of entitlement you have!

Aren't stores USUALLY busy during the weekend? Did you think, maybe
they were OCCUPIED with something else? What if those EMPLOYEES
assumed someone else GREETED you? Did you WALK into the store with an
ANGRY face? Do you really EXPECT excellent service everywhere you go?

You seem quite angry over a small incidident. Maybe you looked like
you knew what you were doing.

So... employees are supposed to be concerned about customers now?
"She DID NOT even tell me to have a nice day like she is PAID to do."

Maybe you looked like you knew just what you needed and they saw you
and didn't want to bother you. Yeah they could have asked you if you
found everything ok while you were looking on a shelf etc but I don't
think a lot of stores do that unless the customer looks confused about
finding something.

Do you mean "utter" rudeness where you wrote "uber"?

When I go into a store and need help, I either ask someone if I need
help, or someone sees my confusion and asks me, but only if they are
not busy and involved. But many times I want to be left alone. Thats
just me and I see that is not you. I don't always want to interact,
because sometimes too much help feels like you are walking throught
the perfume dept. and all sprayers are ready for you! LOL You just
want to grab the item and go. So maybe they were giving you space.

While your letter mentions how you were insulted, it doesn't go into
more specific details that would convince me they were deliberately
rude though. Yes the register person could have said that, but many
places don't or only do that on occasion. It is a nice perk if it
does happen.

I haven't heard the word "uber" since I grouped with young teens in
EverQuest. How interesting.

Ok. No one greeted you. No one asked if you needed help. And
clearly you didn't need any help, because you managed to find your
items and get to the cashier. And the cashier could have been more
friendly. Got it.

However.

Uber, extreme rudeness would have been spitting on you. Walking away
while you are talking them. Using profanity towards you. Physically
shoving you out of their way. Not just not saying hi.

Don't worry, Petsmart. I still love you.

everyone must remember, "The customer is always right, even when he or
she may be wrong". We the customers must be welcomed, and made to
feel at home when we enter a store, since we are your guests and
without us customers, there would be no stores. All store employees
should remember that you have to treat your customers right or we can
take our business elsewhere.

Um....
Ok. I once worked at Petco. (I know I know NOT petsmart) But I have
been in a petsmart before and they did have animals. My main job was
to give the animals medication, clean cages, disinfect thier living
environments, scoop shit, etc. We stopped the work with the animals
(which took hours for basic care for them plus vet trips) to "help"
customers only if they came to us with a question or request. If we
went out of our way for every customer who walked in the door saying
"WHAT DO YOU WANT WANT CAN I GET YOU WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ARE YOU
SURE YOU DON'T WANT *THIS* PROMOTIONAL ITEM!????!?!!" The animals we
sold would be DEAD. DEAD! Get that? Because there would be no one to
care for them. And really- most people don't like the sales pressure
nowadays. So if you want help then ask for it and I'm sure they'll be
friendly. Otherwise stop your bitching.

Sorry Erik, even though I agree with you one hundred percent, and I
usually don't comment on letters like this one, and at the risk of
sending this trash to No. 1, I can't stop myself from saying...

This letter describes my ideal shopping experience!

This, I.. UMM... GROW UP!!! DO YOU WANT A FLIPPING CIRCUS EVERY TIME
YOU WALK INTO THE STORE?!?!?!?! WHEN YOU WANT HELP ASK FOR IT! THIRD
OF ALL, THE CASHIER'S JOB TO RING UP YOUR PURCHASE NOT TALK SUNSHINE
AND RAINBOWS!!!!

Troll alert.

Don't anyone else waste your time responding to this garbage. Just
have a look at the name of the troll who wrote it, realize that it was
written with the express purpose of attracting attention, and then be
adult enough to not give it any.

OMG. Someone stop me before I pull my hair out. They're "paid" to tell
you to have a nice day? Are you serious!?!? Nowhere in my job
description does it say that I'm required to say "have a nice day" to
customers.

I'm sorry but the world doesn't revolve around YOU.

Oh for the love of..tell me, do the clerks at the other stores kiss
your feet the moment you walk in?

Let's think about this for a moment - maybe just maybe the employees
were working? Hmm..I wasn't greeted when I took my cat in on July 1st
to get her vaccinations. Should throw a fit and demand that my butt be
kissed the second I even think about going to their store?

You really need to put your priorities straight. The world does not
revolve around you.

Oh please see a shrink if it bothers you this much.

Did you pull your pants down so they could kiss your a%$?

... the way the letter was written (random caps, etc.), the OP has a
point. Walking into a store and not having a worker greet you/ask
you for help throughout your visit isn't exactly customer service.
Sure, some people enjoy shopping in peace, while others like to be
greeted.

Perhaps the "workers" were busy already with other customers and
correctly chose not to snub them in order to run over and bow down to
the writer who happened to walk into the store. I believe the writer
has a "god complex" and expects all store personel to stop what they
are doing and fall to their knees.

Wow! You get greeted at your Petsmart? Anytime that I have been to
mine I am lucky to get checked out. Just so you know, a cashier is
PAID to check out your merchandise, not tell you to have a nice day.

I dunno about this one. Have you been greeted every other time you've
been there? Being greeted is a nice touch, but I'm not sure I'd
consider not being greeted to be EXTREME RUDENESS (with three
exclamation marks!!!)

Some stores usually greet, some stores rarely/never do. But, like I
said, if you take failure to greet as a personal affront of the
highest order, maybe your service expectations are a little too high.
It's a store mass-market national chain store, not grandma's house.

Sounds exactly like my experience at the Dollar Tree. However, this
was one incident, and I still shop there. I agree, not being greeted,
AT LEAST, by anyone, is a bit annoying when you walk into a store.
All I expect is a nice "hello!" at some point during my shopping
experience.

I think it's a bit extreme to say you won't shop at Petsmart ever
again. Maybe this was just one time you weren't greeted; I don't
think it should make you decide to not shop there anymore.