Well, I just moved and have taken a job at my local Petsmart. I have to admit that I am really enjoying it. I am a cashier.
I think that we cashiers are the people that deal with the public the most - and that is a double edged sword in and of itself. We are the first and last people they see. We are also responsible for answering the phones. That means that we are answering questions almost every minute that we are there. Since I have or have had many pets in my life, I try to answer the questions asked as best I can, or direct them to someone who I think would know the answer.
Since I keep fish myself, I usually try to get the aquaria people to tell me about their tanks. I direct people here to AC many times each day. I have to say that sometimes I disagree with the advice that some of the other employees give to customers, but I know that the advice that they are giving is based on their own experience and has worked for them. I have not yet come across an employee that was not passionate about animals, and doing the best that they can for them. That being said, I identify and exclaim over each animal that comes through my register - dog, cat, fish, bird chinchilla, hamster, skink, hermit crab, cricket, worm - whatever.
On the other hand, I have always tried to be kind to people that are in service-oriented jobs. Most of the people that I interact with each day do, as well. Since today is a holiday eve, there were a lot of harried, frustrated people there and many were unkind. Just remember, we are all doing the best we can. We sometimes don't know the answer, but we are learning more each day. Sometimes there are hundreds of you and only a few of us.
I tell people that I work there for the puppy kisses.
Or the kid who wanted to name his new betta "Bob."
Or getting teary as a girl, who had just come in holding a very old, kind of smelly cat, told me that her 17 year old cat had been missing for a week and they had just found her. They wanted to buy her a bed, new food/water dishes and a litter box because she wanted to keep her safe inside the house from now on. They stopped in at Petsmart on the way home to do just that.
S.
I was talking with some coworkers about the dogs that day, and the manager of the store was standing there. I said how I'd LOVE to take one of those dogs home and she said "we'll let you!" and I was like, SURE, I can just see my DH's face when he picks me up and I walk out to the car with a giant dog on a leash. I can see him locking the doors and speeding away. :laugh: 
