Pet Valu
Pet Valu Employee Reviews
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working with animals
Sales Associate (Former Employee) – Lacombe, AB – 4 July 2018
Can be very demanding but also a great experience. Have to be able to lift up to 50 lbs. Most enjoyable thing about this job is interacting with all the animals that came on and working with rescue centers.
Pros
playing with the animals
Cons
putting away inventory
Good place to work
Director, Organizational Development (Former Employee) – Markham, ON – 25 June 2018
Pet Valu offers many career opportunities. The offices are modern and comfortable. The management team is focused and friendly. Lots of free parking.
Pros
Interesting work
Cons
Commute through Markham can be daunting
easy to work for
Store Manager (Former Employee) – Oakville, ON – 18 June 2018
I worked for this company over 17 years ago so I can't really say what the culture is like now. The franchise I worked at I ran. I didn't have very much interaction with the head office but didn't have any issues when I did
excellent staff, excellent training provided
Sales Associate (Current Employee) – Kitchener, ON – 16 May 2018
very organized in preparing staff with knowledgeable information about product. Straight forward tasks are given, and very enjoyable environment. Over all very nice place to work at.
Hostile Environment Created by Management
Sales Associate (Former Employee) – Winnipeg, MB – 24 April 2018
Pet Valu was probably the worst job I have ever worked at. For the entire time of my employment, I was always uneasy going into work and while being there. The managers were manipulative and bait you into thinking this was the best career move and then treat you horribly. I have never been anxious about going into work or being at a job in my employment history but this place never sat well with me.
Management would tell you to come to them with problems but once you did, use it against you and drop your name to other employees. They would tell you to keep busy but most of the time would just stand there delegating work and micro managing you. My manager in particular knew it would make me uncomfortable and continue to hover while I tried to do things.
Icing on the cake is my dog passed away shortly before I quit and they made me feel bad for needing time off saying "we need you to come in for the rest of your shifts, if you need time you can sit in the back room."
They'll ask you to get involved and be apart of the team but as soon as you have an idea, it will be shot down.
Honestly such a hostile and unhealthy environment.
Slightly above minimum wage to be doing lifting labor almost all day from stocking 40LBS+ Bags and doing delivery on truck days with NO benefits. (Would make sense to include some given the amount of strain on your back)
When I finally quit, I was shamed over quitting and treated absolutely horribly. I ended up finding out my management had been talking about me, making up stories of things I "said" and telling employees. Even AFTER I more... quit I had employees messaging me with attacks about things I had apparently said behind their backs according to my MANAGER. Funny how in all of these conversations, I was never once included?
8.5 Hour shifts if you're full time and they'll mess around with your hours out of some power trip if they feel you're not doing well enough.
All locations are franchised and therefore different but mine was definitely terrible. They had ads up for job openings but anyone who came in my manager would scoff at after they left and try so hard to find a problem with their resume because interviews are "awkward". less
Management would tell you to come to them with problems but once you did, use it against you and drop your name to other employees. They would tell you to keep busy but most of the time would just stand there delegating work and micro managing you. My manager in particular knew it would make me uncomfortable and continue to hover while I tried to do things.
Icing on the cake is my dog passed away shortly before I quit and they made me feel bad for needing time off saying "we need you to come in for the rest of your shifts, if you need time you can sit in the back room."
They'll ask you to get involved and be apart of the team but as soon as you have an idea, it will be shot down.
Honestly such a hostile and unhealthy environment.
Slightly above minimum wage to be doing lifting labor almost all day from stocking 40LBS+ Bags and doing delivery on truck days with NO benefits. (Would make sense to include some given the amount of strain on your back)
When I finally quit, I was shamed over quitting and treated absolutely horribly. I ended up finding out my management had been talking about me, making up stories of things I "said" and telling employees. Even AFTER I more... quit I had employees messaging me with attacks about things I had apparently said behind their backs according to my MANAGER. Funny how in all of these conversations, I was never once included?
8.5 Hour shifts if you're full time and they'll mess around with your hours out of some power trip if they feel you're not doing well enough.
All locations are franchised and therefore different but mine was definitely terrible. They had ads up for job openings but anyone who came in my manager would scoff at after they left and try so hard to find a problem with their resume because interviews are "awkward". less
Pros
Pets
Cons
Management, Work Environment, Wage
Best job
Sales Associate/Cashier (Current Employee) – Peace River, AB – 16 April 2018
I absolutely LOVE this job, the atmosphere, the co-workers. I’ve learned so much on this job and absolutely love helping the customers and the dog wash and adoptables. I love things like pet appreciation month where 100% of donations stay in the community, so many other chain supply stores wouldn’t do this and it warms my heart so much.
Pros
Long breaks
Cons
Not enough hours
Fun atmosphere, good certificates, very knowledgeable on all things “pets”
Assistant Manager/Sales Associate (Former Employee) – Calgary, AB – 12 April 2018
Typical day at work consists of handeling customers, making sure you give them the best possible advice, help them find what they’re looking for, and answering their questions accurately. I learned a lot about animals and their diets. They offer a “pet expert” certificate program which is full of information. Management was very easy to deal with, very much a family atmosphere. Most enjoyable part of the job was the animals.
a pretty decent place to work at
Sales Person (Former Employee) – Strathmore, AB – 11 April 2018
I mostly stocked shelves with new products that came into the store, I learnt a lot about what being a pet store clerk was about. The management in the pet value I worked in was alright. The hardest part of the job was making sure the pet baths and all the floors were clean all the time, the part I most enjoyed about that job was the rescue cats that would live in store until adopted.
Pros
discount pet products
Cons
no breaks unless working 7 or more hours
Great friendly environment
CUSTOMER SERVICE/ASSISTANT DOG GROOMER PET VALU (Former Employee) – Orillia, ON – 9 April 2018
wonderful people, really nice and understanding. enjoyed the company. i liked all the customers too; super funny and nice and always lots to talk about.
Pros
nice lunch breaks
Cons
not enough hours
fun environment
SALES ASSOCIATE (Former Employee) – Barrie, ON – 26 March 2018
I was given lots of experience with customer service and cashier skills. the job was relaxed and the tasks were very realistic and focused on your abilities which was very enjoyable and easy to get into the swing of. customers were usually pretty good too!
Pros
can take lunches at any time (within reason)
Cons
sometimes have to watch the store alone which can be daunting
Deceent
CASHIER (Former Employee) – winniepg – 19 March 2018
Great Coworkers, I loved working with everyone. Friendly environment. Booking off days was easy. Management was however, quite poor. Instead of approaching people if they did anything wrong, notes would be written and slipped into your drawer. Management was very nit picky.. not very good..
Fun place to work at if you are interested about pet nutrition
Key Holder (Current Employee) – Maple, ON – 6 March 2018
Pet Valu is committed to training their employees on how to educate customers on feeding their pets. A typical day at work includes answering customer questions about different brand of foods and cashing people out. It is fun to be apart of a great team who all work together as well. Hardest part of the job is learning about all the different brands of food, but once you grasp the main ones and what they do for different types of breeds it is okay. The most enjoyable part is seeing the fluffy customers or playing with kittens.
Strenuous manual labour specially on truck receiving days, no benefits, minimum wages
Sales Associate (Former Employee) – Toronto, ON – 4 March 2018
One of the worst places you could work at: minimum wage, strenuous manual labour specially on truck receiving days (truck shifts should pay three times as much as none truck receiving shifts but they don't! Truck receiving shifts are back breaking), no benefits, unorganized with scheduling.
Franchise owners just care about enriching themselves on the backs of Canadians. I have experienced several instances where I was not paid for all the hours I worked. Only after realizing the discrepancies and protesting I was able to get my full pay in the next pay period with a two week delay. Those situations happened regularly, I had to keep a very close eye on my hours and my pay to make sure they paid me for all the hours that I worked.
The franchise owners demand that employees solicit donations from customers when in effect they make profits in the name of donating to shelters instead of selling those product donations at cost.
Most employees quit after a very short stay. I already quit and went to one of PetValu's competitors who appreciates me, treats me like a human being, gives me health benefits, pays me significantly more and provides me with a healthy work environment.
Franchise owners just care about enriching themselves on the backs of Canadians. I have experienced several instances where I was not paid for all the hours I worked. Only after realizing the discrepancies and protesting I was able to get my full pay in the next pay period with a two week delay. Those situations happened regularly, I had to keep a very close eye on my hours and my pay to make sure they paid me for all the hours that I worked.
The franchise owners demand that employees solicit donations from customers when in effect they make profits in the name of donating to shelters instead of selling those product donations at cost.
Most employees quit after a very short stay. I already quit and went to one of PetValu's competitors who appreciates me, treats me like a human being, gives me health benefits, pays me significantly more and provides me with a healthy work environment.
Pros
None
Cons
Minimum wage, strenuous manual labour specially on truck receiving days, no benefits
Great approach to business, weak leadership
Inventory Manager (Former Employee) – Markham, ON – 28 February 2018
Specialty retailer with a lot of franchisees and an engaged store team.
Business model is strong with strong analytic and financial discipline. Buying team really knew their product and pets.
Long but relatively fun hours. But not great leadership with no real team building and seemingly less engaged leaders.
Business model is strong with strong analytic and financial discipline. Buying team really knew their product and pets.
Long but relatively fun hours. But not great leadership with no real team building and seemingly less engaged leaders.
Pros
In-house IT team, strong and dedicated associates
Cons
Weak Leaders
Overall an uplifting environment to work in with high energy people.
Part-time Sales Associate (Current Employee) – Cambridge, ON – 26 February 2018
Overall in my time working here, I was given many tasks that i had to complete daily. You must be able to work with many different customers and give advice on dog, cat and small animal foods.
Pros
Spending time with animals
Cons
Long hours
Interesting, laid back working environment
Key Holder/Sales Associate (Current Employee) – Bowmanville, ON – 13 February 2018
I love my job at Pet Valu. Since day one I've learned so much about animals and their proper care than I would have had I not applied. It's a self-directed job, meaning you tell yourself what needs to be done most days, so it builds your responsibility and accountability. You also get to see people's face light up when you give them the advice they need, or a new idea to bring excitement into their pet's lives.
Pros
Make meaningful connections with customers, be around animals
Cons
long hours, slow spells in customer walk ins.
PetValu Summary
Sales Associate (Former Employee) – Markham, ON – 6 February 2018
Working at PetValu was very nice, I got to work with domestic pets which was very enjoyable. The store was small and not ever too packed. I also enjoyed working with the customers and not having a very strict environment. I also learned a lot about working inside an environment where I did not have a specific job, so I gained more learning experience and working with animals. The hours were also very nice, because it's very simple to open and close the stores.
A great place to work!
Store Manager (Former Employee) – Ottawa, ON – 6 February 2018
The early work experience given me here has allowed me to continue to succeed in my other jobs. The work environment allowed me to meet and get to know many people from all facets of life.
I did a coop so it was not paid but overall it was a great experience with wonderful people!
Co-op Placement (Former Employee) – Hamilton, ON – 1 February 2018
My experience at Pet Valu was wonderful and I wish it could last longer. That is the type of job i was aiming to get so i'm glad i got to try it out and get some experience in retail. I did all of the basics and as a coop student they had me do whatever they were too busy to do or needed help with so I got to do pretty much everything except I was never fully trained on cash. I am upset that they didn't focus on cash more but I go to do some important jobs either way. My favourite part of working there was the shipment days where there was always something to do and we had a routine for the most part and routine is a great thing to have at work. The manager and owner were wonderful and made me feel at home almost instantly. The staff were just as if not more welcoming and helpful showing me the ropes. I would go back there in a heart beat!