General Discussion

@Spectrie This is a long one, beware!

It'll still be okay. My tips for bird catching in retail aviaries are to bring the net and the box in with you. At The 'Co the Aviary was a 'large' octangular glass case and you basically had to bend over, put your half your body in the case while using your body to block the door so they couldn't get out into the store. I would take out all the decor so the birds (keets in this case) would be at the bottom of the cage. I would gently guide the keet into the net, then do a bird hold over the net and basically reverse-dog-poop-pickup the keet into the box while slowly closing the box at the same time so by the time the bird was out of the net the box was mostly closed and the net could be easily pulled free. If your manager is okay with it you can also throw a small sprig of millet or a treat in the box as well, that helps you upsell the treats as well as giving the bird something to fix on. Don't be afraid to ask for help or someone to spot you and don't be afraid to bargain with the customer "Oh, you know, it's really busy in the store so I don't feel comfortable bringing the conure out. How about I go in and try to hand feed it a treat so you can see it's okay with people?". If you are polite and knowledgeable, people that know and are prepared to buy their new companion will always agree that health and safety of the animal comes first.

I always carry around 3 things working retail, a pen to make notes or write recommendations to customers on, a highlighter for receipts and a sharpie. Once you get the birds into the take-home box, write the sku in big letters on the top of the box in sharpie and a x1, x2 ,x3 for however many there are. This also works for herps and fish. Then (after closing everything back up) hand carry the box to the front with the customer (I have had people just walk out with pets or try to say the sku written was wrong and they actually wanted something cheaper, so this is crucial). This is also your time to add on any small item sales, and make sure they have everything they need here and at home (i notice new bird owners always a. underestimate the size of cage they need and b. forget cuttlebones). If Petsmart has any new owner pamphlets this would be the time to go over everything again. Once they get to the counter they can fill out and sign the paperwork.

As far as being kept on after seasonal, it always depends on the store's budget and the make up of the team already working but there are definitely some things you can do to increase your chances.
-Knowledge and willingness to learn. It doesn't matter how many times you screw up as long as you acknowledge your mistakes and continually work to improve.
-Get someone on the permanent team fighting for you. I know a new job is intimidating, but if you have a 20 minute friendly chat with your assistant manager about their favorite natural dog food chances are they won't want to see you go, or will call you first when shifts open up.
-Be accommodating, but don't be a doormat. I've learned this the hard way. If it's easy for you to get to work and you have open availability, use it to your advantage. If you can be the one they call in a pinch it'll make it much harder to loose you. Draw the line though and don't break it for them. If you have a class that ends at noon and they want you to start a shift at noon, don't miss all or part of your class for your job. Reason out an appropriate time ie. "the earliest I can get there is 12:30" As a manager I can hold down the fort for 30 minutes if I know the person coming in is worth it.

tl;dr: Feel free to PM me with ANY questions. I love love LOVE talking pet. And talking retail, cause I'm a weirdo.