Pet Shop Attendant
You are employed full time in a pet shop owned by a large chain. The pet shop sells pets and pet products and accessories, for example, food, aquariums and cages, toys, cleaning products. You care for the animals, clean the shop and help customers.
You work from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm during the week and sometimes on the weekend.
You did work experience at a pet shop when you were in high school. You completed your HSC and started a traineeship in Retail at a large store. You applied for the job at the pet shop when you saw an advertisement in the window. Related school subjects: English, maths, science, retail and TVET animal care.
You are healthy and have good communication skills. You understand animals and have money handling skills. You are able to handle cleaning up after animals.
A Day in the Life of a Pet Shop Attendant
When you arrive at work at 8.30, the manager has already opened the shop. The puppies are barking. They are excited to see you. You go to their night cage first and give them all a pat. The manager gets the food ready and you change their water. While they are eating, you quickly feed and water the other animals and birds. You move the puppies from the night cages into the window displays, and then mop the floor. You check that the shop is clean and open the doors.
While it is quiet you clean out the night cages where the puppies have made a big mess. It is a bit disgusting but you know it is important that the pups are clean and comfortable.
When customers come into the shop you ask if you can help them. Some people know what they want to buy. A lot of children come in to look at the animals. Sometimes people want to know more about the animals, or how to care for them, so it is important that you answer their questions properly. If you don’t know, you always ask your manager to help them.
When there are no customers you check all the shelves and make sure there is enough stock on display and that it looks good. You take a cloth around to wipe down the shelves if they need it. You also check that all the animals have water and food.
You take your lunch break in the food hall of the shopping centre and have a look at some of the shops. When you come back your manager takes her break.
In the afternoon a customer wants to buy a puppy. You take the puppy out of the cage for her to hold and you tell her about the puppy. You have a special booklet that you give to the customer and you explain to her how to care for her puppy. Your manager fills in a form for the council with the puppy’s microchip number and the name and address of it’s new owner. You find a cardboard box for the puppy and line it with paper. As they leave you feel a bit sad because you like all the puppies and miss them when they are sold. You know the puppy will be happier in a home than in the shop.
As the day ends you have to complete a special cleaning task. Everyday either the fish tanks or the bird cages or the small animal cages have to be cleaned. Today it is the fish tanks. You have to take out the fish, empty the tanks and fill them with fresh water. When this is done, you feed the puppies their dinner and then move them to the night cages. When the display cages are clean, you mop the floor and get ready to go home. As you leave you say goodnight to the puppies.