PetSmart

Thanks, BobbieA.

I wish PetSmart would do something about the manager who has been so rude and hostile to many former customers. However, there might be a company culture that doesn't care, or even encourages such behavior. I've written to the company to let them know of the problem. I hope they have re-retrained the manager, or transferred him to another position--one that doesn't involve customer service.

No, I haven't been to the Pet Club on the northwest side, but the Pet Club and PetCo stores in midtown are very pleasant and they welcome dogs in training with enthusiasm. I often have my dog do a few tricks for them just for fun.

Good luck to you.

BobbieA, Tasha10 is a troll.

Maybe this "Tasha10" guy doesn't get email notifications when someone comments on a complaint, but I do. I'm glad that you shared your experience.

There are friendlier pet food stores in town where shopping isn't an unpleasant experience.

Nope. I don't have a great Dane. Moreover, the commenter doesn't write like me.

PetSmart at Grant and Swan in Tucson, AZ has a bad reputation for alienating people. I'm glad that others are reading my story and telling theirs.

It's been nice shopping at other local stores and being welcomed as I train my dog and shop.

It is very sad that you were treated with such hostility. It is a flagrant demonstration of rudeness and unprofessional behavior.
Yes, tell all of your dog owner friends to shop at nicer stores. No store should treat its patrons with such disregard.

They clearly don't understand the dog communication and didn't know what to do.

Best of luck at any OTHER store than PetSmart.

Oh, wait...You meant: l e a s h!

Well, I called PetSmart and spoke with a representative who was astonished that my husband and I had been treated so poorly. As she wrote up the complaint, I could hear her reactions and surprise. She apologized several times for Joe the manager's behavior. We are getting somewhere and we'll see if there is any more feedback.

BTW, Tasha10, "leaches" aren't used very much these days. Although, I have heard they are been used as temporary, artificial veins after reattachment of fingers . Oh, and it's l e e c h e s, kind of like you on this site...

Thanks, Iron Muffin. Noted.
There was a woman listening, and get this, he continued his tirade and stopped next to the store training center where there were people and their dogs who could hear!
He was coming unglued. It felt like a social ambush.
I just hope this isn't a corporate culture from the top down. I've also contacted all of the rescue groups who have events at this store, to let them know that they are losing good prospective adopters because of this bad behavior.

Yes, M3C Slimjim, I looked at "descates'" comments. This person seems to live to disparage the postings of others.

What I should do is apologize for calling Tasha10 an idiot. That's not polite. She's probably not an idiot. She's just angry and projecting her own issues onto me. Plus, she doesn't know anything about diplomacy, respectful discourse, or proper customer service techniques, or me. That's just ignorance.

Again, commenting on someone's ignorance is not an attack. Being ignorant means: "Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated"--from Dictionary.com.

Thank you, Gerry21. I'll give them a call. My husband wrote them a letter yesterday and we'll see what kind of response we get. I can't imagine any company that would encourage rude and belligerent behavior as was exhibited by Joe the manager at PetSmart on Grant and Swan in Tucson.

We were using PetSmart clickers, for goodness sake!

We were briefly reinforcing 'sit' with our dog while holding dog food to buy. The manager suddenly came up with a chip on his shoulder, assuming we were professional trainers (as if there's anything wrong with that. Think about it), and he was wrong. We've since learned that people who used to shop there (buying hundreds of dollars worth of food per week--those dastardly pro trainers!) will no longer go there.

The whole point of this board is to inform other shoppers of problems.

The company could also learn that the proper response to someone they think might be poaching clients away from their dog training classes would be to politely approach and ask questions. They'd soon learn that they had misinterpreted the situation and would have avoided making a costly business mistake. This is basic customer service 101. To comment on someone's ignorance about customer service is not an attack--just the clear truth.

I don't know about a reward, MC3 Slimjim, but, I did find a friendly and welcoming new store to shop at! I'll follow through on this, because other people have had problems with them.

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

In the past, we were invited to come and socialize and train our dogs anytime. In fact, we were using Petsmart clickers given to us after taking a class with them years ago.
I see, your idea of customer service is to treat customers as adversaries. Let's see: Assume something bad that isn't really, tell the customer to leave without asking any questions, chase them away, and feel good about losing thousands more per year because of those darn professional dog trainers (and anyone might be one if they ask their dog to sit while shopping) who used to come in and buy hundreds of dollars worth of food per week.
Yeah, that'll really bring in the buyers...
You, too, must be a company shill. But, you're also ignorant of customer service.
We drove over to a competitor after this debacle and were enthusiastically invited to visit and train our dogs anytime! Now that's how it's done!

@ Tasha10
Oh, a company shill, and, another bully.

You don't have a clue. It was the company's policy to welcome all dog owners to walk and train their dogs as they looked to purchase items in the past. They did this for years and we spent thousands per year there.
A loyal customer is first cultivated by a loyal, friendly, courteous and professional business person, not by a manager who assumes the worst (that we might be professional trainers) and kicks us out on a wrong assumption.

You're an idiot, Tasha10. Stay out of retail.