How can I sell myself to a grooming salon for part time help?

I need another part time job and want to work in a dog grooming setting. I'm taking grooming classes in the fall and would love to work in a salon in the meantime. There's a shop around the corner from me that is a perfect location but the one time I went to get some info, there were unfriendly signs everywhere and she was yelling from the back..it was all very intimidating. Signs like "WALK YOUR DOG OR WE WILL CHARGE $10 PER SCOOP" everything was in CAPS with !s. I'd love to go in there, give her a hand, pick up after animals, set up appointments, even fix up her website...but I need to be paid at least minimum wage. I think she'll scoff at me. Or how would I sell myself to any other mom/pop groomer?

I wouldn't work there. Some salons can get pretty rough! I tried to get my foot in the door with quite a few grooming salons just to help out bath (or even clean) during the summer and none of them ever called me back. I got hired for petsmart as a bather. I know there is horror stories of petsmart grooming salons but I do work in a really great salon. But just like a personal shops there is really good salons and then horrible salons. I would do research on your local petsmart (or petco) and go in and talk to them. See how booked they get (a busy salon usually means it is pretty popular = people feels safe taking their pets there). Apply online. I have been working there for 2 years in august. They can send one to grooming school as soon as 3 months of being a bather. I didn't go until 10 months of being a bather. No, a month of grooming school then 2-3 months under strict supervision is not a lot of teaching but a good Instructor will not sign off on somebody who has no potential. And a good instructor will tell you many times that you will need to lots more learning for ever more! But your going to school so you could try to get hired there being a bather and work and watch the groomers do there thing. Then when your school is up you can go to a different salon. I will say that for petsmart groomers we make 50% commission. Being full time you get dental, vision, health, car and a few other benefits. You also are able to move up in the company to a salon manager and even higher than that.OH If you enjoy having the weekends off.. haha say goodbye to that. Groomers work weekends and pretty much everyday up until THE holiday (such as Christmas) and the days after. Petsmart for example is only closed 2 days a year, Christmas and thanksgiving. No one is allowed to request any days off 2 weeks before thanksgiving and week after. Or the three weeks before Christmas or week after. And you can get weekends off if your REALLY need to but as they say "why would you want to that, that is when you make your most money"