pet groomer

dog walker

pet bather

repair technician

operations manager

Barkbus

Barkbus has quickly become one of the WORST places for groomers to work. If you choose to work here, be prepared for an extremely strict work environment with an AI camera monitoring your driving—just like Amazon. It notifies your manager and a safety team for any violations or distractions, including looking away or at your phone. The company tries to make it seem like they aren’t watching you, but they constantly call to give verbal reminders for even the smallest infractions.

You’re not allowed to wear headphones while driving, your seatbelt must be on at all times (even if you’re just moving 100ft to a different parking spot), and driving ANYTHING over the limit is considered a violation. On top of that, they’ve implemented an unforgiving attendance point system that penalizes employees for calling out sick. You’re not allowed to take time off unless you have PTO, and sick hours are accrued rather than given quarterly or annually.

The “Sales Team,” which is supposed to assist groomers with scheduling, routing, and any problems that arise, is absolutely terrible. The arrival window is one of the only good parts of this job, but the scheduling team often overlaps appointments or packs them back-to-back without considering necessary drive time, relying on that window instead—SMH. They’ve also hired foreign assistants who, if they even respond, usually create more issues or don’t help at all.

This company constantly claims they’re looking for feedback, but when employees unanimously speak up, they ignore it and just hire new people instead. The pay is awful, and the bonuses are so low that they’re both insulting and nearly impossible to achieve. There’s no work-life balance, no employee compassion, and no real opportunity to earn a decent wage.

Work here if you want to be just another cog in their corporate system—where every corporate employee makes more money than the actual working groomers.

BarkBus is an absolute amazing company. This is truly one of the best grooming jobs I’ve ever had, all the way from the amazing vans, great products, to the wonderful team that does really care about you. They also have such incredible opportunities that you are offered here! To avoid groomers getting burnt out they have a whole team you can reach out to and of course your manager is always available too, they have people that handle all the scheduling for you, etc etc. This way you can focus on the quality of your work not the quantity, and focus on those pets who need some extra time. They are very understanding and really do care about their pet stylists. Communicate is key. My only con is truthfully the pay could be higher. It’s not terribly bad but it could definitely be higher. The tips are great but I don’t think I should have to live on tips in order to make a living sometimes it seems that way. However they do offer monthly bonuses which are good pay but they can be hard to qualify for. Some days can be long but that also really just depends how fast you are as a groomer. They don’t try to  overbook your schedule so time speed is all on you truthfully. Drive time they try to keep it under 30 mins typically that’s what it is at or under. You get lunches scheduled into your day, they do offer sick pay and PTO that you earn by clocking hours one thing most grooming jobs don’t have. I love the independence this job provides me but also the support for when I do need help I have it. The team  is amazing I adore all my coworkers, they are all so sweet, supportive and caring towards everyone here and to the animals, everyone here truly loves their job and you can definitely see it! Management is the absolute best I’ve never had a manager I look forward to seeing and I feel like
I can come to with anything and they actually want to help. Truly is a great environment. I really do highly recommend working here. You won’t regret it! One of the best decisions I made was taking this job I only wish I had done so sooner! 

It was a bunch of waiting around for appointments. Hourly pay not enough. They won’t let you leave early if you’ve been waiting hours for work, but they told me if it’s past 12 you’d be able to leave if finished for the day. Overly priced so people don’t want to rebook which is now a part of a bonus you could get. But it’s hard to do unless they absolutely love you and the service. The arrival windows are not communicated as WINDOWS to clients. Also no communication from people who don’t groom booking you dogs. They will add another dog without TELLING or ASKING you. They don’t follow requests by pet parents, they don’t follow requests by pet stylists. No one puts gas in the van. Came in to almost empty tank. Yeah benefits and snacks but is it worth it if you can make way better money elsewhere. Most people don’t tip the 20% or so because their bill for a small dog is 300. So they give lower tips. Which I get. If something is broken they promise to fix it but don’t. They say cleaning crew come, it’s just one man and he doesn’t clean just sprays disinfectant. Doesn’t clean the cab either. You have to lug your stuff off and on the van every day. No one Paris the vans correctly either. Could not do it, not much money and not enough flexibility in scheduling and they don’t know how to schedule dogs correctly. I waited 4 hours from last appointment at 11 to the next at 3 because they don’t want you to leave early. All they say is take a lunch. I come to work so I get paid not sit around. Even being hourly you’re not making tips sitting around waiting. 

I groomed mobile for years before starting here. The interviews and orientation had me really hopeful, the people are charismatic and their goals sounded wonderful. In practice, though, it is very obvious they do not care about groomers. 

I was making less here than I do now in a shop. Days were long and inconsistent. Scheduling team tried their best but are overseas and don't know the areas they're scheduling outside of a map. 

Pay is under industry standard and based on 3 categories. I made all three top lists for pay evaluation and still was presented with only 30%, about 3% under mobile standard. Their health benefits are ridiculously expensive and not worth the pay cut. They only pay for sharpening of company owned tools, so don't let that fool you when they bring it up. 

Upper management is incredibly blind to what groomers do and very dismissive of groomer concerns. Myself and at least one other person experience similar instances of "We don't negotiate with groomers" when approaching them about commission rates. Not a groomer friendly company. Look elsewhere.


My time at Barkbus included both positives and challenges. The vans are well equipped, the environment is quiet, and working independently can be a good fit for people who enjoy grooming without distractions.

The workload can be demanding. Schedules are often fully booked, which can make it difficult to take consistent breaks. In my experience, the scheduling team does not always account for the time certain grooming services realistically require, which can lead to long days and limited work life balance. They do not appropriately schedule enough time to have a legally required 30 min lunch. 

Management focuses heavily on metrics and corporate updates. While they make efforts to support groomers, there can be a disconnect in understanding the hands-on aspects of grooming, including how long appointments may reasonably take.

Appointment changes and ambitious scheduling for new clients occur fairly often, which can affect the flow of the day.

Overall, Barkbus provides a quiet, independent work setting with nice vans, but the scheduling pace and work life balance expectations may not work well for everyone.

By far the best job I’ve ever had. Super healthy work environment, with an incredible support team and management who are very accommodating and handle pretty much everything for us. We just have to show up and do what we do best, groom. The tips are incredible (I average $900 in tips per paycheck), the base pay is great and lots of opportunities for overtime, monthly and quarterly bonuses, fun internal contests, medical & dental, 401k. Not to mention paid federal holidays off!! I’m making well over double what I was making at my last grooming job. I feel validated and seen as an artist who is genuinely valued by the company. I also love our client base, they really value the work we do, and we get to go to some really incredible homes. All around I’ve had a great experience thus far and would recommend Barkbus to everyone.

I was super stoked to start working here and 3 months have past and things went downhill from there. They make rage how great the company is and what they do for employees, but the overall satisfaction wasn’t always there. The CEO hardly knows anything about dog grooming. They hire anyone who says they have grooming experience or been red flagged at places. The driving is terrible and will put strain on your ankle. They only had a minimum of 5 dogs a day,  but will add dogs without asking. Have to find a park, grocery store or gas station to use the bathroom. Clients will be charged one price and then their next appt might be charged more without the client knowing.  You don’t always have cell phone service at customers houses. They do have a cute office with free snacks. GMO will give the employees attitude even asking a question or telling them a situation with a dog. 

Pros:
- Working alone (No salon drama or interruptions during your grooms) 
- Tips are great (When you get them) 
- PTO
- Don’t have to groom as many dogs per day
- Free stuff occasionally
 
Cons:
- Pricing is insanely high
-Pay is ridiculously low ( Hourly rate is less than you would make on commission in a salon) 
- Bonus structure was changed with no warning causing many to get a pay cut
- Insurance benefits are too expensive for us to even afford
- Drive times are long and often throughout your day
- Sometimes working up 2-3hrs over your scheduled shift due to poor scheduling 
- Van maintenance is slow
- If you complain about pay they tell you to just pick up more hours
- No manager/ barely any support on weekends
- The team who makes your schedule do not have experience in the industry and will often give you a schedule worth crying over
- Desperate to hire more groomers so will just hire anybody with shears these days



Working at Barkbus had its pros and cons. On the positive side, the mobile grooming setup was convenient, the vans were well-equipped, and it provided valuable hands-on grooming experience. One major benefit was the ability to manage time off without missing a paycheck. If you needed a day off, you could often adjust your schedule or pick up extra shifts on other days. However, the job could be very demanding physically and mentally, with tight schedules, long days, and limited flexibility during the workday. Communication support was inconsistent and support from management was better but still felt inconsistent at times, which made the workload more stressful than it needed to be. Overall, it’s a decent opportunity for groomers who are comfortable working independently and handling a fast-paced environment, but it may not be the best fit for everyone long-term.

The Barkbus team was very responsive and helpful in the interview process.  They are extremely honest from the start.  

It's a tech-grooming start-up and though it does feel like a start-up... that's pretty refreshing to someone who has worked in a super corporate environment for so many years.

I like that I get to be on my own most of the day, but there is always someone who you can message or call for help. The team is mostly young which makes it interesting and not stuffy.

I also really appreciate that the culture is so diverse.  It's great they care less about appearance, and more about talent.  

My favorite part about Barkbus is that there's actually room to grow your career.  If you're down to really work, and work hard - there's a great pay off waiting. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Pet groomer 550 salaries reported	$30.43 per hour
Dog walker 200 salaries reported	$31.50 per hour
Pet bather 35 salaries reported	$25.44 per hour
Repair technician 22 salaries reported	$26.36 per hour
Operations manager 9 salaries reported	$91,389 per year

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