You cant fault the location, location, location business model. SqFt
isnt cheap and the prices ballpark for what they sell. I dont think
they subtract from a tea shoppe bottom line. People eat at chain
restaurants because it is convenient. The tea shoppes will benefit in
the long run from the spill over like when some get the bug to find
out more or just from the shear foot traffic curiosity. My local
British tea shoppe doesnt know that much about Chinese teas. My local
Chinese tea shoppe doesnt know that much about British teas. What
advice would I get if I choose the wrong place. And neither of them
heard about cambric tea when I encountered it last Christmas. When I
speak of tea shoppes I mean a Brick-N-Mortar. Not some guy filling
online tea orders in a warehouse with the bin covers off because it
isnt his responsibility to put them back on. And Ill make sure the
samples you get in the mail dont match what you order. The tea
industry needs their version of a Starbucks. Not because they are the
best but allow others to fill niche markets.

Jim

On Oct 8, 8:38 am, "Dominic T." > wrote:
> On Oct 8, 8:51 am, Space Cowboy > wrote:
>
> > I dont have any trouble with the Teavana hard sell.
>
> I'm not saying all of their tea and wares are terrible, I'm saying the
> entire business model is, their treatment of employees, and the
> general ethos of Teavana. I bet there are a couple good teas, I'm sure
> there are a few knowledgeable folks, I'm sure one can find a really
> good pot... but my point is why. Wouldn't you rather give that same
> (often less) money to someone who is doing things right? Who *is*
> knowledgeable, who *is* the owner and employee or who treats and hires
> skilled folks properly, who stocks all exceptional items and who takes
> pride in them.
>
> The community for quality tea in the U.S. is small, why make it harder
> for the good guys to win by diluting the relatively small amount of
> money flowing through this market to vendors and outlets who don't
> deserve it? That ensures only that we will get more Teavanas and
> Adagios in the future because they are the only ones who can survive.
> I don't want to see that happen, it would be a true shame.
>
> People are free to vote with their dollars however and wherever they
> like, some know full well what these places are and still choose to
> patronize them, some folks simply do not know that there are better,
> more reputable, places out there. I've had family and friends honestly
> think that they got a great deal and that this place is the pinnacle
> of tea, once they realize they over-payed by 50-100%+ or got garbage
> and were outright lied to they are genuinely shocked. That doesn't
> help tea or the fostering of tea culture in America at all.
>
> That's all I'm trying to convey.
>
> - Dominic