My experience at Teavana.

For general/other topics related to tea.


Oct 26th, '10, 01:10
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Re: Teavana is a great place to work!

by Evermint » Oct 26th, '10, 01:10

Another hilarious thing I'm noting right now. Every new account that tries to defend Teavana uses the same public relations loaded BS language.

Check it; I shall dismantle this one post here!
tea_pot_105 wrote:I am so sick and tired of people complaining about teavana. I've worked there now for a year and have had the best time ever.
Ok, nothing here. Sometimes, you get a store with pretty cool co-workers.
tea_pot_105 wrote:During the interview they ask you if you've worked in a commission based job before. This is a truly SALES job. If you don't know how to engage your customers and be enthusiastic about loose leaf tea then this is not the job for you.
Enthusiasm includes passion. However, when the products are not truly the best products - or even close to the best products for that matter - then how could a person ever be passionate?
tea_pot_105 wrote:Never have I been pushy or made my customers feel like they had to buy more than they wanted. You simply give them all the information on how we sell the tea and let the customer decide on how much they want.
This includes, by the way, filling up tins or bags more than intended and asking if it's "all right". This is illustrated in training, too.
tea_pot_105 wrote:Of course I'm going to tell them and show them the best savings in terms of pound discounts and cast iron. If they are not ready to purchase that much now atleast I've informed them and more than not, next time they come in they will purchase it.
Here's the loaded part. "The best savings"? They might not even like the tea. They need to try it without the potential monetary repercussions that arise if they DON'T like it. And the cast iron sets? Please; sets are way cheaper anywhere else online and they work just as well.
Q.E.D.
Geekgirl wrote:Meh. It goes well with Teavana's official policy of "The customer does not know what they want, so you have to tell them."
No joke. That is literally what my manager told me, word by word.
Chip wrote:However when paying, listening to the one salesperson offering the same ole same ole to a complete newbie. I happened to watch as the salesperson was about to weigh a whopping half pound of tea (tried to sell the guy tea by the pound :shock: ), he put a big tin (add on sale) on the scale and did not tare the scale. :shock:
I am mad I did not say anything at the time ... he did this for two teas. :shock:
Chip wrote:As I mentioned the other day, this one employee at King of Prussia Mall/The Plaza failed to tare the scale after putting a new and by the way very oversized Teavana tin onto the scale. He did this twice, for two teas. He could have used a tin a 1/4 the size, but was squeeeezing every penny from this customer who BTW was a complete newbie. I really wanted to be a buttinski on the entire charade, but I was also watching my own transaction ... a few EMPTY Washi canisters.
Just making sure you guys know, but there were tare buttons on the scale I've used that were pre-set for various tins. That is, the tins could be filled up with tea, THEN placed on the scale, and tared. Pressing the XL (1 pound) tin button would subtract 5.3 oz, for example.

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Oct 26th, '10, 13:04
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Chip » Oct 26th, '10, 13:04

Just making sure you guys know, but there were tare buttons on the scale I've used that were pre-set for various tins. That is, the tins could be filled up with tea, THEN placed on the scale, and tared. Pressing the XL (1 pound) tin button would subtract 5.3 oz, for example.
This is possible. Though I have to say this is not the best practice, and quite corruptable. It would be better to tare with the actual in hand canister for the customer to see to 0, then fill the tin with the appropriate amount of tea. I can tell you it did not happen this way. The scale was never tared to 0 prior to adding tea.

Anyway, why tare with the "X" size after filling, no wonder they never get the amount right.

And why have a tare button for each tin, makes no sense. I want an exact tare if I am buying, not a fixed number. Jeez, just hit the tare to 0. I do this everytime I weigh. I place a lid on the scale, hit tare, it goes to 0, I put how much tea I am going to brew.

I mean it is just as easy to tare to 0 with a canister as it is to hit size "X" tare button. With the fixed tares, it is easy for the associate to make a mistake, might hit "Y" by accident or not.

Regardless, the customer has the right to see the the scale at 0 prior to adding tea.

Oct 26th, '10, 14:42
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by kaymbark » Oct 26th, '10, 14:42

A year or so ago, unfortuantly for my husband and myself, we walked into the Teavana at the Willow Grove mall in PA, looking for a cheap set to start out with. Of course they led us straight to the cast irons, showing them off to us and telling us that the pots were the best in making tea. We were niave, and before we knew it, we had fallen into the enthrallment as newbies normally do. Needless to say, we have both vowed not to step foot back in one of those stores.

With that said, I should have done my research and found this forum and thread sooner. A lot sooner.

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Oct 26th, '10, 15:35
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by rabbit » Oct 26th, '10, 15:35

kaymbark wrote:A year or so ago, unfortuantly for my husband and myself, we walked into the Teavana at the Willow Grove mall in PA, looking for a cheap set to start out with. Of course they led us straight to the cast irons, showing them off to us and telling us that the pots were the best in making tea. We were niave, and before we knew it, we had fallen into the enthrallment as newbies normally do. Needless to say, we have both vowed not to step foot back in one of those stores.

With that said, I should have done my research and found this forum and thread sooner. A lot sooner.
Well, cast iron can be great, but it's not the "best" way to make tea... there is no such things, that depends on personal preference and what type of tea you are making. I think most of us have been had at some point by someone in the world of tea, but don't let it scare you away, there are some wonderful teas out there sold by honest vendors.

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Oct 26th, '10, 16:13
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Re: Teavana is a great place to work!

by ABx » Oct 26th, '10, 16:13

Evermint wrote:And the cast iron sets? Please; sets are way cheaper anywhere else online and they work just as well.
Q.E.D.
No kidding; if you go into some of the Asian supermarkets you can find the exact same ones for a fraction of the price, too.

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Oct 26th, '10, 16:15
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Chip » Oct 26th, '10, 16:15

... and those cast iron tetsubins make wonderful shelf decorations and paper weights! Stylin' ... :mrgreen:

I use them mostly for teas like genmaicha that are tolerant of too high or too low temps. They are cool. Just generally not practical for the more finer, delicate, or finicky teas.

However to be a corporate sales focus as the best pot for brewing tea, as they are obviously with Teavana, is just stupid ...

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Oct 26th, '10, 16:29
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by geeber1 » Oct 26th, '10, 16:29

We were looking at a house a couple weeks ago and they had a tetsubin sitting on the stove. The realtor thought I was a nut when I took it off and set it on the counter. :)

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Oct 26th, '10, 17:01
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by rabbit » Oct 26th, '10, 17:01

Chip wrote:However to be a corporate sales focus as the best pot for brewing tea, as they are obviously with Teavana, is just stupid ...
If teavana were really smart they'd sell easily breakable pots... that will guarantee people come back for more!

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Oct 26th, '10, 17:13
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by iannon » Oct 26th, '10, 17:13

I am still not getting the logic behind how a LINED tetsubin tea pot used for STEEPING is going to benefit anyone with the magic properties of the iron.. ok..perhaps an UNLINED kettle sure..?? or am i nutz? :?

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Oct 26th, '10, 17:17
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by entropyembrace » Oct 26th, '10, 17:17

iannon wrote:I am still not getting the logic behind how a LINED tetsubin tea pot used for STEEPING is going to benefit anyone with the magic properties of the iron.. ok..perhaps an UNLINED kettle sure..?? or am i nutz? :?
It´s MAGIC it doesn´t have to make sense! :lol: :lol: :lol: :roll:

Oct 26th, '10, 20:08
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Whichone » Oct 26th, '10, 20:08

Honestly, the poster of this seems like he/she was careless. I don't think I would stop shopping somewhere based on "top-down sales tactics". Why would I want crap products?! Also, the person lost some part to a machine. Sounds pretty worthy to be left in charge of a store to me. nope.

On another note, you can't find Japanese cast iron teapots cheaper. Not even in Chinatown, San Fran. If they are cheaper, they are probably Chinese. Big difference in quality. Ask those who have visited Japan, they run an average of $200.

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Oct 26th, '10, 21:24
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by spot52 » Oct 26th, '10, 21:24

Well, I am so glad I found this forum on Google. Now I can tell all of you, people I do not know, how wrong you really are. Are you all that stupid? Do you all really not know enough to know that Teavana is awesome and top quality? How informed could you really be? If you drink Teavana tea, you will go back in age, gain laser vision, lose massive amount of pounds, never suffer again from allergies, and even become super cool. I guess the people on the forum just hate you, and want you to be a loser forever. Come join me on the super awesome teavana is rad board. Later losers!
http://www.awesometeavanaisrad.net/board ROCK ON!

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Oct 26th, '10, 21:27
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by entropyembrace » Oct 26th, '10, 21:27

Whichone wrote:Honestly, the poster of this seems like he/she was careless. I don't think I would stop shopping somewhere based on "top-down sales tactics". Why would I want crap products?!
I don´t want crap products either, that´s why I don´t shop at Teavanna! :lol:

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Oct 26th, '10, 23:37
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by iannon » Oct 26th, '10, 23:37

And just when it seems this threads about to slip into oblivion..one of "them" pops in and livens it up! awesome.
if nothing else its amusing

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Oct 27th, '10, 00:00
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Chip » Oct 27th, '10, 00:00

iannon wrote:And just when it seems this threads about to slip into oblivion..one of "them" pops in and livens it up! awesome.
if nothing else its amusing
Keeps the topic near the top of certain google searches, which is ironic if you think about it.
geeber1 wrote:We were looking at a house a couple weeks ago and they had a tetsubin sitting on the stove. The realtor thought I was a nut when I took it off and set it on the counter. :)
:lol:

I would likely have had to look and see if it was indeed a kettle sitting on the stove or a lined teapot inappropriately sitting on the stove.

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