PetSmart Resignation: Everything You Need to Handle Before Your Last Day

Quitting PetSmart means telling your store manager, giving notice, and turning in your badge. The process is simple. What is less simple is understanding everything you lose when you walk out, because PetSmart’s benefits package for a specialty retailer is surprisingly deep, and some of those perks disappear the second your employment ends.

Quick Reference: Your PetSmart Exit

What You Are Actually Giving Up

Most people quitting a retail job lose a discount and maybe some health insurance. PetSmart employees lose those plus a set of pet-specific perks that are genuinely hard to replace.

The 15% employee discount on most products and services ends on your last day. That is the baseline. The bigger loss is the 50% discount on proprietary brands (Authority, Simply Nourish, Only Natural Pet food and litter), which is the discount PetSmart employees actually use regularly. If you have pets (and you almost certainly do if you work at PetSmart), stock up before your last day.

Free monthly pet services also end immediately. While employed, you get a free dog wash, teeth cleaning, and nail grinding in the salon every month. These services cost $15 to $75 each at retail pricing. That is $45 to $225 per month in pet care you are about to start paying for.

Free 6-week puppy or beginner training class is available to employees. If you have a dog that needs training, start the class before you give notice so you can finish it during your notice period.

Discounted pet insurance through PetSmart’s employee program also ends. If your pet is insured through this plan, you will need to find replacement coverage or convert to an individual policy.

PerkSpot deals on cell phones, travel, and entertainment end with your employment.

More at PetSmart employee discounts.

How to Resign

Tell your Store Leader in person. PetSmart does not have a self-service resignation portal on HR Connect or ADP. Your Store Leader processes the separation.

Give a written note or email with your last day. Two weeks is expected. PetSmart is at-will.

Ask your Store Leader what separation code they are entering. “Voluntary with notice” keeps your rehire options clean.

If you work in the grooming salon, PetsHotel, or training department, your Store Leader may ask for more than two weeks because these roles are harder to fill and have client relationships attached. There is no obligation to give more than two weeks, but it is worth considering if you want to leave on good terms.

Download Your Records From ADP

Your pay stubs and W-2s live on ADP at my.adp.com. The registration code for PetSmart is petm-pets. If you have not registered on ADP yet, do it now while you are still employed.

Go to Pay > Pay Statements for pay stubs and Pay > Tax Statements for W-2s. Download your last several pay stubs and your most recent W-2. Your ADP access should remain active for a period after separation (ADP is more persistent than most employer-specific portals), but do not count on it.

Your HR Connect portal at hrconnect.petsmart.com is where personal info and HR documents live. Download anything you need before your last day.

For benefits questions after leaving, the Alight portal at worklife.alight.com/petsmart (or digital.alight.com/petsmart) handles benefits enrollment and COBRA. More at PetSmart login portals.

PTO Payout

PetSmart’s PTO structure is simpler than most retailers:

• Years 0-4: 80 hours (2 weeks)
• Years 5-9: 120 hours (3 weeks)
• Years 10+: 160 hours (4 weeks)
• 16 discretionary hours on top of vacation
• Sick time: 4 hours per month, rolling over to a max of 120 hours

PetSmart operates on a use-it-or-lose-it policy for vacation and discretionary time. Sick time rolls over but has a cap.

Whether your unused vacation gets paid out depends on your state. In mandatory payout states (California, Colorado, Illinois, and others), PetSmart must include it in your final check. In other states, company policy applies, and PetSmart generally pays out accrued vacation to associates who resign with notice.

Sick time is typically not paid out in any state, even mandatory payout states, because most state laws distinguish between vacation and sick leave.

Check your balances on HR Connect before you give notice. Full details at PetSmart PTO policies.

Final Paycheck

PetSmart pays biweekly. Your last check arrives on the next regular payday. Direct deposit continues for the final payment.

State-by-state rules at PetSmart final paycheck laws.

Benefits After Leaving

Health insurance: Ends the last day of the month you quit. COBRA notice arrives by mail. PetSmart is owned by BC Partners (private equity), and benefits can shift year to year. Confirm your exact coverage end date with Alight rather than assuming.

401(k): PetSmart matches 50 cents per dollar on the first 6% of pay, vesting at 20% per year (fully vested after 5 years). If you are leaving before full vesting, you forfeit the unvested employer match. Check your vesting percentage on Alight or HR Connect before you leave. Your own contributions are always 100% yours. See what happens to your 401k when you quit.

Ally Program: PetSmart’s behavioral health support for employees not enrolled in medical coverage. Access ends with your employment.

Full details at PetSmart benefits after termination.

Rehire Eligibility

PetSmart has roughly 1,700 stores and tends to have decent turnover, so rehire opportunities are generally available.

• Resigned with notice: Eligible to reapply with no waiting period.
• Resigned without notice: Short waiting period, typically 30 to 90 days.
• Terminated for cause: 6 months to permanent, depending on severity.

If you left the grooming salon with certifications (safety, breed-specific cuts), those credentials help if you want to return. Document them before you lose access to training records on HR Connect.

Before Your Last Day

• Stock up using your 50% proprietary brand discount and 15% general discount.
• Use your free monthly pet services one last time.
• Download pay stubs and W-2 from ADP (code: petm-pets).
• Check your 401(k) vesting percentage.
• Check PTO balance and state payout rules.
• Update your mailing address on HR Connect.
• Return your name badge, keys, and any store-issued equipment.
• If you are a groomer, take photos or notes on your certifications and training completions.
• Save HR’s number: 1-866-263-8411 / hrsharedservices@petsmart.com. Full details at PetSmart HR contact guide.

PetSmart employees who love animals often describe the hardest part of quitting as losing the daily interaction with the pets, not the job itself. But the financial side matters too, and the pet services and proprietary brand discounts add up to real money. Make sure you have used what you can, downloaded what you need, and checked your vesting before you hand in your apron.

For more PetSmart employee resources, visit the PetSmart employee hub.