PetSmart

I have been working at a California PetSmart for over a year in the salon and as a cashier. This particular store has a very hostile and unfair work environment from management. They don't give you your 15 minute breaks which is illegal and they have been sued for that already. I have received 2 checks from settled lawsuits, and I will probably receive more. That is not my complaint however. Before I start I want give a few facts: 1. The incident occurred on 8/8/2019. 2. We do not have an HR representative so I cant file a report against them. 3. I have been in customer service for 7 years and I am good at it.

I am a nice person and I am loyal to my employers. I don't want to think that I am being taken advantage of, so it takes a lot to drive me away. But the final straw was on 8/8/2019 which is what triggered me to write this report. I threw my back out at work, the acting manager refused to let me leave and made me keep working the entire shift. This is not safe and it looks bad when your cashier is cringing in pain while ringing you up. I even threw up from the pain. I of course did not give good customer service how could I? I did see a doctor immediately after my shift was completed. It was a no-win situation for me which is never fair or right. I received a customer complaint that day for my poor customer service AND I was written up. The manager lectured me about how "I am paid to bring my best customer service face no matter what is going on in my personal life." It isn't fair for employees to be put in no-win situations like this.

But it gets worse. I had a conversation with my manager about being interested in a career (any career) with benefits (like a normal adult that wants to take care of themselves) and when he wrote me up for 8/8/2019 he used that conversation we had against me as evidence that I was rude to this customer, because according to him: I was "miserable" not knowing what "I wanted in life" so I was rude to this customer. I remember my customers, I remember our last conversations and their pets names. I am good at customer service. So that is not fair or true. He also said "don't cry" when I wasn't going to cry, I am assuming because I am female. Everyone has bad days at work, I am not the only one. But I feel that I get singled out all the time. No one should ever feel that way at a workplace.

At this PetSmart you can't trust anyone, especially management. Teamwork is not something that coworkers understand. Everyone treats you like you are an idiot. Especially coworkers. They think you are incompetent. They allude to your incompetence because you are "just a cashier" (actually said by a coworker). I have also been called a "childless spinster". Being called "barren" was the most hurtful because I discovered uterus cancer that year, and now they were making fun of me not being able to have children. (Again, do not confide in your coworkers.) I'm constantly having to deal with coworkers insulting my intelligence. The snobbery and clicks are ridiculous. Personal conversations with your coworkers and bosses will be used against you later when they want to write you up. Often times coworkers will ignore me.

From the bullying of my intelligence and being called "old" "barren" or "childless" I just check out mentally and go through the motions of my job just to get through the shift, and then get in trouble for "checking out mentally." Even though I need money I find myself relieved when hours are cut. During the write-up he use my "checking out" as not giving great customer service. Again with the no-win situations. What really irritates me about this though is that its ok if the Pet Care workers have headphones on and listen to music, texting in the back and take 30 minute breaks every hour while ignoring customers. Its ok for them to say these horrible insulting things to me and not get written up. Often times I get in trouble for leaving the register to help a customer because the Pet Care associates are on another break. I am sorry but how do you not get bitter and lose motivation for your job when you are being treated so unfairly?

I have two interviews this week. I have decided I do not want a future in this company, in customer service or retail in general. Prior to this incident I was willing to overlook this store's many flaws. I overcame the personal attacks, the stores uncleanliness, and I even worked through my injured back and didn't complain. But then they wrote me up for not giving good customer service during the pain?! I just can't with this place. Its too much. I see how utterly hopeless PetSmart is as a company and I cant forgive anymore transgressions. Everyone has a breaking point. I can thank PetSmart for turning me off to a career I have done for the last 7 years of my life and used to love. No one deserves to be treated this way. When people come in with resumes I warn them. They will bully you, treat you terribly, then give you a write up for not being "smiley" enough.