PetSmart — Local services in Waterloo

We go here a ton since it's the closest pet store to us. Most things are fine about the store, the staff is pretty friendly, seems fairly clean, but a few things could be done better.

The biggest thing is their weird phobia for bagging things at the checkout. They literally NEVER give a bag for ANYTHING anymore, and they dont ask. It doesn't matter which cashier checks you out either, they all do it. Which tells me it's a trained thing. Last time we got more food, we got a big bag of dog food, a smaller bag of wet dog food, a box of canned cat food, a large bag of cat litter, and some flea medicine. Putting the smaller items in the bag would've helped with carrying, but instead the cashier made a joke about "might as well not put the flea medicine in the bag either." I then proceeded to drop some things in the parking lot because I was trying to carry too many loose items.

Though I think the fish section has improved, I still see a lot of fish look unwell, especially the bettas. A lot of their cups are green and they look sad.

Would be nice if the pet waste bags outside were ever filled, and the waste bag was replaced more consistently so it didn't overflow all the time. You can tell it's a task that only gets done whenever they feel like it, so it often results in most people not picking up their pet's waste outside.

Like I said, this isn't a bad store. It just could use improvement. My rating could easily get bumped to a 4 if number 1 was resolved. And a 5 if they were all resolved. If those things don't bother you, this is the...

I have a Shitzu-Maltese mix and has been going to the Waterloo location ever since he was a puppy. He is 2 now. He gets a full bath and cut every month. He was touchy about his feet a couple of times but I have been told the last 4 appointments, that he has gotten a lot better and was very good. They had no issues. I always have the same girl cut his hair so he was familiar with her. I had an appointment to get him groomed and his teeth brushed like he has had done before, on April 22, 2002. They had called me a couple days ago and asked if I could move up his appointment cuz there was a mistake in scheduling. I moved my appointment up an hour as I had to work. They called me the day of the appointment and asked again if there was anyway I could come sooner. I told them no I had to work until 12 so 1230 was the earliest I could get there. They said no problem , see ya at 1230. I then got another call at 1045, now stating that he was a risk to himself and them so I was no longer able to bring him there anymore!! Now this is a little confusing to me, I wasn’t able to bring him in earlier then they wanted me to and now he isn’t allowed!!! Why?? Now this seems to me that oh since you can’t bring him and we messed up on the schedule, you can’t bring him in anymore!! I’m sorry you messed up but it’s not my fault and now I have to find another groomer!! I will not be going to Pet Smart in Waterloo Iowa anymore! I bought and did all my pet needs shopping there!! You just lost a...

Unfortunately I had a pretty bad experience with the grooming department. This is the 2nd time we have used this location - the 1st experience was just fine, this experience was terrible. We have a mini-golden doodle (although more midsize as he is 50 lbs) who we like to keep a little shaggy. I don't feel I was listened to on how I wanted his hair cut, and our dog ended up with a very bad haircut/experience. He had a few mated spots by his ears due to a recent treatment for ear infection, but nothing even noticeable to the eye. The employee and I seemed to agree that any mated spots would be spot cut and to still keep him at the 2" cut just like last time. I picked him up and he was completely shaved, he doesn't look anything like himself or what we had agreed upon. His muzzle was completely shaved, along with his ears and his body (which didn't have any mated hair) was shaved. You can tell he's a bit taken back with his experience because he's been acting almost sad and lethargic. Unfortunately, I will never return. I don't feel the groomer should take it upon herself on what to do without contacting the owner. I'm not a professional groomer, but I know he didn't need to be shaved. I understand hair will grow back, but the principle of the situation and the service that was provided is, to me, unacceptable. I feel terrible I...