Pet Grocer is Hiring!
WE’RE HIRING: PART TIME TEAM MEMBER
First, a little about us.
Pet Grocer is a unique type of pet food store.
We started because we believed pets deserved better than simply choosing between different bags of highly processed food on a shelf.
Our purpose has always been to help people make informed decisions about better options for the health and wellness of the animals they love.
We specialize in fresh food, raw feeding, home prepared diets and holistic wellness. We believe in asking questions, looking beyond marketing claims, understanding ingredients and continuing to learn as new information becomes available. While we believe in integrative functional medicine, we are a holistic-first store.
We don’t expect you to arrive knowing everything.
Personality, values and willingness to learn matter far more to us than having a long list of pet industry experience.
We can teach most skills and knowledge.
THE PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for someone who:
• Genuinely loves dogs and cats and understands how important they are to their people
• Is kind, warm and comfortable talking with customers
• Is curious and wants to keep learning
• Is interested in nutrition, holistic health and other wellness choices for pets
• Likes asking “why?” instead of simply accepting “that’s how it’s always been done”
• Is dependable and takes responsibility seriously
• Notices what needs doing and does it
• Works well as part of a small team
• Is comfortable receiving feedback and learning new ways of doing things
• Understands that cleaning, organizing, lifting boxes and counting inventory are every bit as important as helping a customer choose products
• Can work independently without needing someone to constantly tell them what to do
Most importantly, you must already have a dog or cat who is fed a raw or home prepared diet.
That requirement is intentional. Our team needs to understand this way of feeding from personal experience, not simply from a training manual.
WHAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY BE DOING
We want to be very clear about this part.
Some days are physically demanding.
Your regular responsibilities will include:
• Receiving deliveries, checking incoming products and inventory
• Putting away large orders
• Performing inventory counts
• Organizing shelves and freezers
• Stocking products
• Helping customers on the store floor, assisting customers at the cash
• Answering basic customer questions and learning when a question needs to be passed to someone with more advanced nutrition or health knowledge
• Keeping the store clean, organized and ready for our clients
• Learning our products, ingredients, feeding philosophies and wellness categories
NOW FOR THE BRUTALLY HONEST PART
Pet food is heavy.
You need to be capable of repeatedly lifting boxes and bags weighing up to 50 lb.
You will spend significant portions of some shifts:
• Standing
• Walking
• Bending
• Lifting
• Carrying products
• Moving cases of food
• Putting away deliveries
• Counting inventory
And yes, we have a large walk in freezer.
When deliveries arrive or freezer inventory needs to be counted, you may be working inside that freezer for extended periods.
It is cold. Very cold.
If you absolutely hate being cold, cannot comfortably lift heavy products or are looking for a mostly sedentary retail job, this probably isn’t the right position for you.
We would rather tell you that before you apply.
THE SCHEDULE
This position is approximately three days per week:
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Shifts begin at 9:15 AM and generally finish between approximately 1:15 and 2:00 PM, depending on the volume of work that day.
You may also be included in our Saturday rotation, which means approximately one Saturday every 5 to 6 weeks.
You must be available for these shifts.
NON NEGOTIABLE REQUIREMENTS
To be considered, you must:
• Have reliable transportation to and from work
• Have basic computer skills
• Have customer service experience or strong customer service abilities
• Own a dog or cat
• Currently feed that pet a raw or home prepared diet
• Be physically capable of repeatedly lifting up to 50 lb
• Be capable of standing, walking and lifting for extended periods
• Be comfortable working for extended periods inside a walk in freezer
• Be available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:15 AM until approximately 2:00 PM
• Be available for approximately one Saturday every 5 to 6 weeks
ONE LAST THING
We receive a lot of applications whenever we hire.
We want to know that you actually read this, because attention to detail matters at Pet Grocer.
At the very beginning of your application, tell us what you feed your dog or cat and why you chose that way of feeding.
Applications that do not include this will not be considered.
We don’t need you to know everything.
We need you to be dependable, curious, capable of doing the physical work and genuinely interested in helping people give their pets the healthiest lives possible!
If that sounds like you, we’d like to hear from you.
Email us at info at petgrocer dot ca or drop your resume off in store.