Tips for People Who Work at Pet Stores
Working with animals can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Working at a pet store combines working with animals and working in customer service to benefit both the customer and the pet. While pet stores are a joy to many, pets and customers can also be the cause of sickness and distress if mishandled. In fact, there are several tips that people who work at pets stores should consider.
Keep Clean
- Often, working at a pet store brings employees into contact with feces, medications, saliva, vomit and other obviously unsavory and potentially hazardous materials. These are all reasons to keep clean while working at a pet store; however, there are several hidden dangers such as fleas, ticks and mites from pets as well as viral infections from customers and children that make keeping clean a must. Treat cleanliness while working in a pet store as a surgeon would. Clean the hands all the way up the arms thoroughly before and after work and frequently wash hands throughout the day if the job has brought you into frequent contact with customers, pets or their remnants. Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you if frequent trips to the restroom are not possible.
Steel Yourself
- While most customers are looking to purchase supplies for their pets or for a new pet to love, customers are also looking to buy rats to feed to a snake, looking for breeding pairs to stud and often are looking to return a dead animal that did not stay alive during the warranty period. Different individuals have different points of view on what a pet is and how it should be regarded. If you dislike seeing dead pets or hearing others talk about pets as if they are products instead of little individuals, be prepared, because just as much as customers who lavish affection on their pets, these owners (or former owners) must be given the best customer service possible.
Knowledge is Power
- While working at a pet store is primarily a customer service position, having a comprehensive knowledge of the animals in your care will help with their well being, your ability to handle them when required and at sale time. Many pet owners are new to the experience and will require guidance on what type of pet is good for their home situation. These potential owners will appreciate help from someone confident in his knowledge.
