Meet Lauren, Senior Manager Site Merchandising, 5+ years with PetSmart

Lauren's been working in retail for the last 13 years and learned early on that her passion was for people—being able to bring people together, facilitate, and educate—which ended her within her first role at PetSmart as a Learning Consultant. From there, she transitioned to the the Manager of Emerging Talent and is now a member of the Site Merch team within PetSmart's digital space.

What kinds of work are you doing now on the digital team?

I am still heavily focused on people. I still have a passion to make change. Each person is unique and brings something different to the table. I love to learn what it is that they bring. Just because it isn’t a common path you would assume, it doesn’t make it the right path. “We have to pay attention to one another, regardless of how someone may look or action, look again. Looking at people is like looking at art. I may look at a painting and dislike it because I don’t understand it but then I’ll look deeper and I’ll see things better.” – Leah Chase. We need to continue to look deeper and see the art behind each individual. That is where the magic happens.

Each digital team is building something new every day. We have folks on the backend making systems work, product managers making enhancements, UX creating experiences, front end coding and making the UX come to life on our site, site merch telling the stories and selling the product. No one day is the same.

Tell us about your pets!

Alfie and Abe. Alfie is a 14 year old Yorkie-Poo and Abe is a 13 year old Shi-Poo. If Alfie were a human, imagine someone who is incredibly introverted and has a no trespassing sign in his yard. He’s super lovable once you wear him down and then he becomes incredibly needy. He’s a real dichotomy. Abe has attachment issues. He will be under foot 97% of the time. Just anticipate you’re going to trip at some point when he’s in the room.

Tell us something cool about #LifeAtPetSmart in digital.

The digital team is growing. I’ve heard others say it feels a bit like a small start up with the support of a bigger company. And I agree. We have so much opportunity and growth to happen. So much to learn and capitalize on. Oh the place you’ll go. There are multiple areas just within Digital that you can branch out to as well. Whether you like process, data, merchandising, relationship building, problem solving, etc. It’s incredibly rewarding as well.

What kinds of soft skills are helpful in the digital world?

Being inquisitive, wanting to learn, having a skill for data analysis, relationship building skills, a 30K foot view of the bigger picture, ability to learn and understand systems, a passion for retail.

Can you tell us a bit about the leadership team at PetSmart in digital?

The digital leadership team is great. Each leader brings a unique lens to this space and compliment one another well. They have a passion for making things happen and moving the needle. It’s a collaborative team that brings a very innovative perspective.

What are 3 things that you love about #LifeAtPetSmart?

1. The challenge

2. The pets

3. The opportunities

Finish the sentence: You know you work at PetSmart when….

Your profile picture is a pet.

Make an impact with us on our digital team! Apply for open roles at careers.petsmart.com