My husband and I were shopping with our dog today at the Petsmart on East Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ, and had training treats to reinforce good behavior with us. We were suddenly approached by the manager and told to leave. He asked us no questions. He said, "You can't train your dog here. You'll have to leave the store." I told him that we visit the store every week to buy food and toys and that we always train him as we walk through the store. He said, "No, you'll have to leave. You can't train your dog here. It's store policy. We have dog obedience classes here and what you're doing is like grooming your dog in the back of the store, when we have a grooming service here." I said, "We aren't trainers. This is our pet, and we're only socializing him." He was relentless. He went on and on and seemed so agitated, as if there had been a slew of professional dog trainers coming in with clients and their dogs. Yet, he never asked us who we were, nor did he approach us with any kind of courtesy.
Finally, we put back the food we were about to purchase and said we'd never shop at Petsmart again. It didn't seem to bother him at all, but he did say that we could stay if we weren't professionals. I thought, Now why would I want to buy anything from a store that had a manager who would verbally accost a customer without asking any questions?!
It also occurred to me that dog trainers don't sell food. So, why would the store not welcome anyone who wishes to purchase store items and reinforce good dog behavior?!
The whole experience was a stunning example of failed customer service. This manager has lost the company thousands of dollars from a heretofore great customer.
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