Behind the Scissors: A Pet Groomer's Journey and Tales

[Pet Store Visit Sharing] Series of Pet Stores in the Eastern United States - ✅



Being a Pet Groomer in the US

I've noticed that every Pet Grooming store I've visited has booming business. Moreover, there are more than just three or four employees. With the front desk staff included, each store seems to have around six or seven people.

The key is that the business is so good that bookings are often pushed far into the future. Naturally, the income of pet groomers is really not low. After all, manual labor is relatively scarce here. When I went to Shaggy Chic, people there thought I was going for a job interview at first. They were extremely enthusiastic.



In the US, diligent groomers can earn five or six thousand dollars a month. Of course, this also has a certain relationship with the business of the store itself and their own working speed.

The salary structure is the minimum hourly wage or basic hourly wage plus commission. However, the commission rate is higher than that in China, with an average of 40% across the US. Additionally, the tip for each service belongs to the groomer. Generally, it's around 15 - 20%💰 of the service fee.

Regarding the grooming prices, they are similar to those of medium-sized community stores in first-tier cities in China, except that the unit is US dollars. Usually, it's about $100 for common small dogs. In big cities like New York, it's a bit more expensive.

So, you can roughly calculate how much a groomer can earn in a month. To be honest, it's really not low. I was a bit shocked when I first heard about it.

At the same time, the overall grooming techniques here are relatively basic. You can tell from the American dressing culture. People are usually very casual and laid-back. Plus, most dogs in the US seem to be like they've been on jungle adventures. It's completely different from the delicate Maltese style.



I also asked whether pet groomers in the US need some certifications to work. The answer is no. There are training institutions or on-the-job education programs.

Big chains like Petco and Petsmart, which I introduced before, offer on-the-job education. But it all starts with washing dogs 🐩. It takes several months to progress to the next stage of training. The overall process takes a relatively long time. Also, there is a contract with the company, which is quite understandable.

As for how to open a pet store in the US, I've scheduled an interview with a pet store in New York. I'll share what I learn with everyone. In the future, I'll also gradually visit more stores and interview more pet groomers to share a variety of content. There must be something you'll like.