Part-Time Sales Assistant - Mat Leave - Palmerston North

Animates; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 16,000 - 18,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Store discounts

Parental leave

Volunteer leave

Bereavement leave

Counselling support

Job stability

Job summary

Animates in Palmerston North is seeking a friendly retail customer service assistant on a parental leave contract until 27 June 2027. This part-time role is 16 hours per week, with Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. You will help pet parents with product advice, nutrition guidance, and light duties like fulfilling online orders.

You may lift up to 20kg and join a caring team committed to pet wellbeing. If you bring a positive attitude, reliability, and a customer-first approach, this is a

Qualifications

• Experience in a customer facing role (retail experience preferred).
• Physical ability to lift stock (up to 20kg).
• Flexibility to work weekdays, weekends and public holidays.
• A positive attitude and dedication to being a valuable team member.

Responsibilities

• This isn’t your regular customer service role. Here at Animates, the advice you give and the products you sell make a real difference to the lives of pets.
• Our values-led culture and extensive training will develop your expertise to provide specialist nutrition advice, suggest educational toys and know what fish species make good tank-mates + much more!
• Other daily tasks include fulfilling eCommerce orders, and you may be required to lift heavy items e.g. bags of dog food.

Skills

Customer service

Retail experience

Flexibility

Positive attitude

Team player

Job description

At Animates, we’re passionate about helping pet parents give their pets the happiest, healthiest lives possible.
Animates is New Zealand’s largest pet care specialist, with 48 retail stores, 27 grooming salons and 14 vet clinics working together across communities to support the wellbeing of pets. Every day our teams empower pet parents with trusted advice, quality products and expert services so they can make informed decisions for the animals they love.

Our Palmerston North store is perfect for pet lovers & animal enthusiasts. We are a knowledgeable and caring team and located only 5mins from the CBD.

This position is a parental leave contract until 27th of June 2027. You will be working part-time, 16 hours a week in the following shift:

Friday: 9am-6pm and Saturday: 9am-5pm

What will I be doing?

This isn’t your regular customer service role. Here at Animates, the advice you give and the products you sell make a real difference to the lives of pets.

Our values-led culture and extensive training will develop your expertise to provide specialist nutrition advice, suggest educational toys and know what fish species make good tank-mates + much more! Other daily tasks include fulfilling eCommerce orders, and you may be required to lift heavy items e.g. bags of dog food.

What we’re looking for:

You’ll pride yourself on delivering customer service excellence, proactively seek solutions and be committed to ongoing learning.

To be successful you’ll also have:

• Experience in a customer facing role (retail experience preferred)
• Physical ability to lift stock (up to 20kg)
• Flexibility to work weekdays, weekends and public holidays
• A positive attitude and dedication to being a valuable team member

We also offer:

• Tailored career development – whether you're interested in leadership, grooming roles, or becoming a puppy school trainer, we offer a range of progression pathways and hands‑on support to help you grow in the direction that suits you best
• Generous discounts at our retail stores and vet clinics
• Parental leave benefits to support your growing family
• Give back to your chosen charities through our ‘Paws for Good’ volunteer leave
• Paid bereavement leave following the loss of a pet
• Access to free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme
• Stability. Be part of a business that’s growing and thriving

Why you'll love Animates:

We’re proud to offer a genuinely supportive and inclusive culture, where our leaders care deeply about the wellbeing of their teams and everyone lives our values of passion, authenticity, care, knowledge, and togetherness. As a Rainbow Tick Certified Employer, we encourage you to bring your whole self to work.

We’re also honoured to be the first organisation in Aotearoa to achieve Gold level recognition in the Mental Health First Aid Workplace Recognition Programme. This reflects how seriously we take mental health and wellbeing—through training our people in Mental Health First Aid, creating safe and open environments to talk, and making sure everyone feels supported, connected, and able to look out for one another every day.

If you share our love for the pet parents we serve, the merchandise we sell, and the work we do, this is a place for you to build a rewarding career!