When I hear groomers expressing frustration about their work, it is more frequently about the humans on the other end of the leash than the dogs. For example, "I was traveling on vacation, and my flight got canceled. I had to reschedule two days of customers. Everyone understood except one man, who insisted I fit them in on a certain day. I offered many alternative solutions, but he wouldn't budge. That means on my first day back, I will be grooming until 9:00 PM just because they wouldn't be flexible."
More than one groomer has stated, "I guess I'm a people pleaser. I have a hard time disappointing anyone." One of the common traits of people pleasers is that they have difficulty saying "no." They find it challenging to decline requests, even when agreeing to the request will be a hardship for them. In the above example, the groomer, already tired and stressed from travel and delays, will put in one long, difficult day because she couldn't say "no" to a pushy customer.
Of course, there are plenty of times when saying yes to requests is perfectly fine, but when that "yes" causes a person to feel overwhelmed or to neglect their own wants, needs, and desires just to please a customer, that is a problem.
People pleasers have a fear of others disapproving of them, and they make extreme efforts to avoid conflict. In the rescheduling example I gave, the groomer offered the customer other choices but, in the end, gave in to their demands, even though it would make her schedule very difficult.
Of course, I don't know the details of this particular situation, but I can't help but feel bad for that groomer putting in such a tough day. If this story resonates with anyone, I have a couple of suggestions. You might try a different phrase if the word "no" is too hard to say. A people-pleasing friend says, "I'm sorry, that doesn't work for me," Has helped her. She said no one has ever asked her why it didn't work for her.
If you find that avoiding conflict is causing a problem in your life, interfering with your plans, and causing you to resent your work, consider talking to a counselor to learn some tactics to help you take better care of your own self-interests. Of course, we have to offer good customer service; it is a primary part of our job, but we also have to consider our own needs and keep a healthy work/life balance so we don't wind up resenting the job we once loved.
