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| Tea (rec.drink.tea) Discussion relating to tea, the world's second most consumed beverage (after water), made by infusing or boiling the leaves of the tea plant (C. sinensis or close relatives) in water. |
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La Societe' du The' customer service?
Had an odd experience with these folks. I just moved about 30-40 miles
south of Minneapolis, and was pretty excited that there was an almost-local tea shop. I've been looking at Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs (we liked it the best of the Republic of Tea's Oolongs), and I've looked at Stash, Tea Time in Palo Alto, LSdT, Special Teas, and the prices vary wildly. I called La Societe', intending to place an order - they have some advantages of being local and any order would get to me quickly, plus they seem to be moderately priced. So I asked him at the Tea, and what the differences were between their different varieties (floral, regular, and monkey picked) and he (don't know who it was - employee, owner, or what) told me that if I was new to tea, then he recommended the basic variety, that the monkey picked was much more complex. Then I asked that why the prices varied so much from place to place, and he basically said "I'm not going to get into this now; thanks for calling" and hung up. His tone was not rude in the least, but his actions were. Now, what I wanted to know was: 1. Did I break some unspoken rule of tea etiquette by asking about the differences in prices? (ie, was I rude first?). I don't believe my tone was rude or argumentative. 2. Are they usually this... abrupt? My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual behavior. Cathy Weeks |
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On 30 Nov 2004 12:51:47 -0800, Cathy Weeks wrote:
> Had an odd experience with these folks. I just moved about 30-40 miles > south of Minneapolis, and was pretty excited that there was an > almost-local tea shop. Welcome to Minnesota. You got here just in time for winter! > I've been looking at Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs (we liked it the best of the > Republic of Tea's Oolongs), and I've looked at Stash, Tea Time in Palo > Alto, LSdT, Special Teas, and the prices vary wildly. > > I called La Societe', intending to place an order - they have some > advantages of being local and any order would get to me quickly, plus > they seem to be moderately priced. So I asked him at the Tea, and what > the differences were between their different varieties (floral, > regular, and monkey picked) and he (don't know who it was - employee, > owner, or what) told me that if I was new to tea, then he recommended > the basic variety, that the monkey picked was much more complex. Then > I asked that why the prices varied so much from place to place, and he > basically said "I'm not going to get into this now; thanks for calling" > and hung up. His tone was not rude in the least, but his actions were. > > Now, what I wanted to know was: > > 1. Did I break some unspoken rule of tea etiquette by asking about the > differences in prices? (ie, was I rude first?). I don't believe my tone > was rude or argumentative. You didn't do anything wrong that I can see. What you have experienced is 100% pure Tony, the shop owner. I've been a regular at their shop since 1997, and this isn't the first time I've heard about him doing something like this. > 2. Are they usually this... abrupt? No. If you'd gotten Bozena on the phone, she'd have been as sweet to you as clover honey. Both Bozena and I have repeatedly mentioned to Tony that he ought to be careful about his "customer relations" skills. He can, at times, appear abrupt. The reality of it is that he's just ridiculously concise. What you got was the short explanation. The reality of it is that he was probably in the middle of a rush in the store or otherwise occupied and simply didn't have time to discuss the issue. > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. Oh, please don't give up on the shop because of one gruff experience with Tony. And I'd recommend that you stop by the shop if you've got a chance. It's a wonderful experience to actually sample tea there before you buy it, or even just to sniff a few tins. Plus, they do have a website that you can order from. www.teashop.us I will contact him about this and get back to the group with his response. -- Derek Heffalumps to the left of me, woozles to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with Pooh. |
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On 30 Nov 2004 12:51:47 -0800, Cathy Weeks wrote:
[snipped by Derek] > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. Cathy, I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. He said that he did not mean to be rude or abrupt. He says that he has been getting a lot of phone calls recently from people who want to spend an hour on the phone haggling over prices. Additionally, you called him at a busy time in the shop and he just didn't have time to talk about the tea prices. What he intended for you to do was to email him your question so he could give it a more "reflective answer" (his words). That way, he could attend to the customers in the shop and answer your question, too. He did say that he's going to make an effort in the future to make sure that he's clear that he's willing to answer questions via email, but that he just doesn't have the time to answer them on the phone. It's a small shop with 2 employees, after all, and typically only one of them is in the store at any given time. So they get a little overwhelmed at times. -- Derek The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you. |
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Derek wrote: > I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. :-) Thanks, Cathy Weeks |
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On 30 Nov 2004 13:58:36 -0800, Cathy Weeks wrote:
> Derek wrote: > >> I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. > > Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. > :-) You're welcome. -- Derek "Meddle not in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle, and will p!$$ on your cyberdeck." - Jeff Wilder |
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You should know that you guys rock. (Not in a wussy 80's hair-band
kind of way, but in a neighborly, nice way. Someone in the midwest reading this right now might be saying "fer cool", which is definitely an interesting and flavorful way to say you rock.) Rufus T. Firefly "Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message oups.com>... > Derek wrote: > > > I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. > > Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. > :-) > > Thanks, > > Cathy Weeks |
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On 30 Nov 2004 13:58:36 -0800, Cathy Weeks wrote:
> Derek wrote: > >> I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. > > Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. > :-) You're welcome. -- Derek "Meddle not in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle, and will p!$$ on your cyberdeck." - Jeff Wilder |
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You should know that you guys rock. (Not in a wussy 80's hair-band
kind of way, but in a neighborly, nice way. Someone in the midwest reading this right now might be saying "fer cool", which is definitely an interesting and flavorful way to say you rock.) Rufus T. Firefly "Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message oups.com>... > Derek wrote: > > > I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. > > Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. > :-) > > Thanks, > > Cathy Weeks |
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Derek wrote: > I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. Wow.... thanks for doing this. It's nice to be back in the midwest. :-) Thanks, Cathy Weeks |
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Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? You call my local tea shoppe. I'm at
the register and the only employee takes a call and I have to wait for him to give directions, rattle off the hundred teas for sale, describe the health benefits, blah-blah-blah. Here is a hint, there is no correlation between price and taste. It is simply supply and demand. Caveat Emptor pure and simple. You decide if the owner makes a living or not. Put your credit card where your mouth is and take a drive. If you've never been in a tea shoppe you owe it to yourself. I'd buy the most complex, sublime, distinctive teas I could find and convince myself I'll never like the taste of tea and enjoy a latte at Starbucks. I'm willing too put up with a inquisitive consumer asking questions in the shoppe but not someone who goes directly to the head of a line with a phone call who will never show up even after asking for directions. When it comes to tea be prepared for a few surprises and many disappointments. My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so lackluster. I just ran into a problem with Home Depot and won't be back till I get over it. I'll shop at the other big chain till something happens there. Jim "Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message roups.com>... > Had an odd experience with these folks. I just moved about 30-40 miles > south of Minneapolis, and was pretty excited that there was an > almost-local tea shop. > > I've been looking at Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs (we liked it the best of the > Republic of Tea's Oolongs), and I've looked at Stash, Tea Time in Palo > Alto, LSdT, Special Teas, and the prices vary wildly. > > I called La Societe', intending to place an order - they have some > advantages of being local and any order would get to me quickly, plus > they seem to be moderately priced. So I asked him at the Tea, and what > the differences were between their different varieties (floral, > regular, and monkey picked) and he (don't know who it was - employee, > owner, or what) told me that if I was new to tea, then he recommended > the basic variety, that the monkey picked was much more complex. Then > I asked that why the prices varied so much from place to place, and he > basically said "I'm not going to get into this now; thanks for calling" > and hung up. His tone was not rude in the least, but his actions were. > > Now, what I wanted to know was: > > 1. Did I break some unspoken rule of tea etiquette by asking about the > differences in prices? (ie, was I rude first?). I don't believe my tone > was rude or argumentative. > 2. Are they usually this... abrupt? > > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. > > Cathy Weeks |
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On 1 Dec 2004 07:42:52 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote:
> Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? You call my local tea shoppe. I'm at > the register and the only employee takes a call and I have to wait for > him to give directions, rattle off the hundred teas for sale, describe > the health benefits, blah-blah-blah. Here is a hint, there is no > correlation between price and taste. It is simply supply and demand. > Caveat Emptor pure and simple. You decide if the owner makes a living > or not. Put your credit card where your mouth is and take a drive. > If you've never been in a tea shoppe you owe it to yourself. I'd buy > the most complex, sublime, distinctive teas I could find and convince > myself I'll never like the taste of tea and enjoy a latte at > Starbucks. I'm willing too put up with a inquisitive consumer asking > questions in the shoppe but not someone who goes directly to the head > of a line with a phone call who will never show up even after asking > for directions. When it comes to tea be prepared for a few surprises > and many disappointments. My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It > goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It > is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest > disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so > lackluster. I just ran into a problem with Home Depot and won't be > back till I get over it. I'll shop at the other big chain till > something happens there. Jim, I think you just described Tony's experience "to a tea". -- Derek "Marriage isn't supposed to make you happy - it's supposed to make you married." -- Frank Pittman |
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On 1 Dec 2004 07:42:52 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote:
> My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It > goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It > is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest > disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so > lackluster. Side note, Jim. If it was a Bai Hao oolong (like Oriental Beauty), you might try using more tea and steeping 4-7 minutes, rather than the typical 3. -- Derek While good fortune often eludes you, misfortune never misses. |
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Wow that worked, thanks Derek. The only tea I've ever brewed where
time really means anything. Those leaves set on the surface for 5 minutes before starting to dance. I went for the seven and I guess could have taken a ten because the leaves really didn't look spent. Under my system the leaves only get one chance. A very mild oolong with absolutely no charcoal aftertaste. Sort of reminds me of a darjeeling without the muscat. However at $5/oz I'll use it for special occasions and drink other cheaper FOs with a punch. I've been tasting Huan Jin Gui all week and finally a mainland oolong I like as much as any pouchong from Taiwan. I wish my local tea shoppe owner would hang up more oft...click.click..click...uh..click.click.hel..cl ick.lo...click,click,operator,operator. Anyone notice the new Google Groups update? Instant posting with 10 minute tree updates. Damn I can fan the flames. Also I can set up an instant email subscriber list where only certain email addresses can participate but posts are logged by Google. Someone tell the moderator of the private email tea group their posts don't have to go down the drain which is the reason I never joined. If I spaketh it is castest in stonest with copyrightest protectionest. Jim PS: This post under the old Google Groups. I got one in this morning under the beta version. Derek > wrote in message >... > On 1 Dec 2004 07:42:52 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote: > > > My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It > > goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It > > is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest > > disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so > > lackluster. > > Side note, Jim. > > If it was a Bai Hao oolong (like Oriental Beauty), you might try using > more tea and steeping 4-7 minutes, rather than the typical 3. |
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On 2 Dec 2004 08:17:40 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote:
> Wow that worked, thanks Derek. You're welcome. > The only tea I've ever brewed where > time really means anything. Those leaves set on the surface for 5 > minutes before starting to dance. I went for the seven and I guess > could have taken a ten because the leaves really didn't look spent. > Under my system the leaves only get one chance. A very mild oolong > with absolutely no charcoal aftertaste. Sort of reminds me of a > darjeeling without the muscat. However at $5/oz I'll use it for > special occasions and drink other cheaper FOs with a punch. I've been > tasting Huan Jin Gui all week and finally a mainland oolong I like as > much as any pouchong from Taiwan. I wish my local tea shoppe owner > would hang up more oft...click.click..click...uh..click.click.hel..cl ick.lo...click,click,operator,operator. I think we all have had, at one time, a tea that we just use for special occasions. > Anyone notice the new Google Groups update? Instant posting with 10 > minute tree updates. Damn I can fan the flames. This is supposed to be a good thing? > Also I can set up an > instant email subscriber list where only certain email addresses can > participate but posts are logged by Google. Someone tell the > moderator of the private email tea group their posts don't have to go > down the drain which is the reason I never joined. Yahoo's groups were always like that. > If I spaketh it is > castest in stonest with copyrightest protectionest. But only if thou spaketh it firsteth.  -- Derek The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures. |
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Space Cowboy wrote: > Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? Is there a tea shop in Le Sueur? I'm 25 minutes north of Le Sueur, and my stepson's mom and stepdad live there, so I'm there regularly. Cathy Weeks |
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Space Cowboy wrote: > Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? Is there a tea shop in Le Sueur? I'm 25 minutes north of Le Sueur, and my stepson's mom and stepdad live there, so I'm there regularly. Cathy Weeks |
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On 1 Dec 2004 07:42:52 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote:
> My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It > goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It > is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest > disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so > lackluster. Side note, Jim. If it was a Bai Hao oolong (like Oriental Beauty), you might try using more tea and steeping 4-7 minutes, rather than the typical 3. -- Derek While good fortune often eludes you, misfortune never misses. |
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On 1 Dec 2004 07:42:52 -0800, Space Cowboy wrote:
> Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? You call my local tea shoppe. I'm at > the register and the only employee takes a call and I have to wait for > him to give directions, rattle off the hundred teas for sale, describe > the health benefits, blah-blah-blah. Here is a hint, there is no > correlation between price and taste. It is simply supply and demand. > Caveat Emptor pure and simple. You decide if the owner makes a living > or not. Put your credit card where your mouth is and take a drive. > If you've never been in a tea shoppe you owe it to yourself. I'd buy > the most complex, sublime, distinctive teas I could find and convince > myself I'll never like the taste of tea and enjoy a latte at > Starbucks. I'm willing too put up with a inquisitive consumer asking > questions in the shoppe but not someone who goes directly to the head > of a line with a phone call who will never show up even after asking > for directions. When it comes to tea be prepared for a few surprises > and many disappointments. My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It > goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It > is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest > disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so > lackluster. I just ran into a problem with Home Depot and won't be > back till I get over it. I'll shop at the other big chain till > something happens there. Jim, I think you just described Tony's experience "to a tea". -- Derek "Marriage isn't supposed to make you happy - it's supposed to make you married." -- Frank Pittman |
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Michael Plant wrote: > Their > pretentious use of French is not a plus. We speak English here in the good > old US of A. That doesn't particularly bother me... everyone has their marketing angle. Even not speaking much French, I didn't have any trouble navigating their site, and other tea places have their stupid angle, too (Republic of Tea being a prime example). Here's the deal... if the store is good in every way, except for their phone skills, I'm willing to chalk it up to a bizarre ideosyncracy. And I won't use the phone with them. I emailed them another question, and got a polite, informative, and well-thought out answer, in a relatively short time (an hour or so). So we'll see. Unfortunately, I cannot be completely objective; they *do* have a strike against them. If I order from them, and get good service, or if I visit and like them, wonderful. But.... it would take LESS poor service on their part before I'd decide they weren't worth it, than another business without the strike would. Make sense? Cathy Weeks |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> Having gone this far, I'll say this: When a shop owner needs a team of > apologists to keep people from fleeing the scene, we have the makings of a > bad tea buying experience. Let's shop where people might have their bad > days, but can generally manage to be polite to somebody on the telephone as > well as somebody standing in front of them -- at the very same time. *I* am not a "team." :P As for having bad days, who's to say that Cathy's experience didn't fall on a "bad day"? Perhaps it's just bum luck that her first phone call was on a "bad day". -- Derek "A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordinance . . . He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded." - Ben Stein |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> Cathy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We need to know. Finally, > where's the Pu'erh, eh? Yeah, I know. Two replies to one post are bad form. Are you asking about the Pu Erh on their web site? Try searching without the apostrophe. -- Derek Some people dream of success, while other people live to crush those dreams. |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 20:31:48 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> 12/1/04 > >> On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote: >> >>> Cathy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We need to know. Finally, >>> where's the Pu'erh, eh? >> >> Yeah, I know. Two replies to one post are bad form. > Not bad form at all, IMHO. > >> Are you asking about the Pu Erh on their web site? Try searching >> without the apostrophe. > > OK, I will. But, I didn't pull it up under "Pu'erh; I looked under "Yunnan," > although not that carefully. I'll look again. Hey, if it'll bring up a search under Pu Erh or Pu-Erh or Puerh, the's no reason Pu'Erh can't be included. > Have to admit that Darjeelings with no dates push my buttons as badly as I > apparently pushed yours. And besides, there seemed to be some kind of > concensus that.this Tony guy needs to work on his telephone skills in > general. Sorry. We'll just let it rest now, Team One. Hey, not everything you said was off base. Ok, so you don't share Tony's Francophile tendencies. That's a personal choice. Criticisms about how the products are organized, however, is a different beast. I'll probably tell Tony about your comments the next time I see him. After all, they may be a small shop with only 2 employees, but if he wants to do internet business, he's got to pay attention to things like product organization and the quality of his photos. -- Derek If you want to get to the top, prepare to kiss a lot of the bottom. |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 20:31:48 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> 12/1/04 > >> On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote: >> >>> Cathy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We need to know. Finally, >>> where's the Pu'erh, eh? >> >> Yeah, I know. Two replies to one post are bad form. > Not bad form at all, IMHO. > >> Are you asking about the Pu Erh on their web site? Try searching >> without the apostrophe. > > OK, I will. But, I didn't pull it up under "Pu'erh; I looked under "Yunnan," > although not that carefully. I'll look again. Hey, if it'll bring up a search under Pu Erh or Pu-Erh or Puerh, the's no reason Pu'Erh can't be included. > Have to admit that Darjeelings with no dates push my buttons as badly as I > apparently pushed yours. And besides, there seemed to be some kind of > concensus that.this Tony guy needs to work on his telephone skills in > general. Sorry. We'll just let it rest now, Team One. Hey, not everything you said was off base. Ok, so you don't share Tony's Francophile tendencies. That's a personal choice. Criticisms about how the products are organized, however, is a different beast. I'll probably tell Tony about your comments the next time I see him. After all, they may be a small shop with only 2 employees, but if he wants to do internet business, he's got to pay attention to things like product organization and the quality of his photos. -- Derek If you want to get to the top, prepare to kiss a lot of the bottom. |
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There is no need to deal with La societe'. He is less than nice ,his
prices are high, and his shop is in a bad neighorhood. try the twin cities phone books, there is tea in the area. also about a hundred asian markets. one i like is a beer brewing equipment shop on penn and 50th in mpls that has a few nice teas. I f there is a tea shop in southern mn, PLease tell us how to contact it. |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> Cathy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We need to know. Finally, > where's the Pu'erh, eh? Yeah, I know. Two replies to one post are bad form. Are you asking about the Pu Erh on their web site? Try searching without the apostrophe. -- Derek Some people dream of success, while other people live to crush those dreams. |
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 19:22:15 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
> Having gone this far, I'll say this: When a shop owner needs a team of > apologists to keep people from fleeing the scene, we have the makings of a > bad tea buying experience. Let's shop where people might have their bad > days, but can generally manage to be polite to somebody on the telephone as > well as somebody standing in front of them -- at the very same time. *I* am not a "team." :P As for having bad days, who's to say that Cathy's experience didn't fall on a "bad day"? Perhaps it's just bum luck that her first phone call was on a "bad day". -- Derek "A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordinance . . . He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded." - Ben Stein |
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Cathy,
Before coming down too heavily on La Societe' du The, I had a look at their web site. First, their Darjeelings show no year. This is a serious omision since Darjeeling -- like fine French wine, I might add -- differs signficantly from year to year. Either their Pouchongs or the pictures of their Pouchongs to give them the benefitof the doubt are truly lousy,. Their pretentious use of French is not a plus. We speak English here in the good old US of A. Further, their organization "by region" or "by type," but with no way to look for, example, at a selection of green teas by region, makes it awkward to find what you might want. Having gone this far, I'll say this: When a shop owner needs a team of apologists to keep people from fleeing the scene, we have the makings of a bad tea buying experience. Let's shop where people might have their bad days, but can generally manage to be polite to somebody on the telephone as well as somebody standing in front of them -- at the very same time. Cathy, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We need to know. Finally, where's the Pu'erh, eh? Michael Cathy 11/30/04 > Had an odd experience with these folks. I just moved about 30-40 miles > south of Minneapolis, and was pretty excited that there was an > almost-local tea shop. > > I've been looking at Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs (we liked it the best of the > Republic of Tea's Oolongs), and I've looked at Stash, Tea Time in Palo > Alto, LSdT, Special Teas, and the prices vary wildly. > > I called La Societe', intending to place an order - they have some > advantages of being local and any order would get to me quickly, plus > they seem to be moderately priced. So I asked him at the Tea, and what > the differences were between their different varieties (floral, > regular, and monkey picked) and he (don't know who it was - employee, > owner, or what) told me that if I was new to tea, then he recommended > the basic variety, that the monkey picked was much more complex. Then > I asked that why the prices varied so much from place to place, and he > basically said "I'm not going to get into this now; thanks for calling" > and hung up. His tone was not rude in the least, but his actions were. > > Now, what I wanted to know was: > > 1. Did I break some unspoken rule of tea etiquette by asking about the > differences in prices? (ie, was I rude first?). I don't believe my tone > was rude or argumentative. > 2. Are they usually this... abrupt? > > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. > > Cathy Weeks > |
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On 02 Dec 2004 14:01:35 -0500, Lewis Perin wrote:
> (Tom Koeppl) writes: > >> I live in the twin cities and I also ran a fowl of the above merchant. > > Did you measure its speed? *chuckle* Was it carrying a coconut? Oh, wait... that's a swallow. -- Derek "There is a proverb. "As you have made your bed, so you must lie in it, " which is simply a lie. If I have made my bed uncomfortable, please God, I will make it again." -- G.K. Chesterson |
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On 02 Dec 2004 14:01:35 -0500, Lewis Perin wrote:
> (Tom Koeppl) writes: > >> I live in the twin cities and I also ran a fowl of the above merchant. > > Did you measure its speed? *chuckle* Was it carrying a coconut? Oh, wait... that's a swallow. -- Derek "There is a proverb. "As you have made your bed, so you must lie in it, " which is simply a lie. If I have made my bed uncomfortable, please God, I will make it again." -- G.K. Chesterson |
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I live in the twin cities and I also ran a fowl of the above merchant.
He had nothing to offer, all overpriced. I get my teas from TEA SOURE in st paul, on cleveland a half a block north of ford parkway. neat place good prices, great service. I am just a customer. OT there is a coffee roaster across the street. tom |
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On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 11:15:34 -0600, Tom Koeppl wrote:
> I live in the twin cities and I also ran a fowl of the above merchant. > He had nothing to offer, all overpriced. > > I get my teas from TEA SOURE in st paul, on cleveland a half a block > north of ford parkway. neat place good prices, great service. I am just > a customer. OT there is a coffee roaster across the street. tom I tried to shop there once. I was completely ignored by the person behind the counter, and when I did finally get her attention, she was clueless about the products and of absolutely no help. I never went back. I guess mileage really does vary. -- Derek Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lighting kills hundreds of people each year who are trying to find it. |
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On 30 Nov 2004 12:51:47 -0800, Cathy Weeks wrote:
[snipped by Derek] > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. Cathy, I called Tony about this just a few minutes ago. He said that he did not mean to be rude or abrupt. He says that he has been getting a lot of phone calls recently from people who want to spend an hour on the phone haggling over prices. Additionally, you called him at a busy time in the shop and he just didn't have time to talk about the tea prices. What he intended for you to do was to email him your question so he could give it a more "reflective answer" (his words). That way, he could attend to the customers in the shop and answer your question, too. He did say that he's going to make an effort in the future to make sure that he's clear that he's willing to answer questions via email, but that he just doesn't have the time to answer them on the phone. It's a small shop with 2 employees, after all, and typically only one of them is in the store at any given time. So they get a little overwhelmed at times. -- Derek The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you. |
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Le Sueur, St. Peter, Mankato? You call my local tea shoppe. I'm at
the register and the only employee takes a call and I have to wait for him to give directions, rattle off the hundred teas for sale, describe the health benefits, blah-blah-blah. Here is a hint, there is no correlation between price and taste. It is simply supply and demand. Caveat Emptor pure and simple. You decide if the owner makes a living or not. Put your credit card where your mouth is and take a drive. If you've never been in a tea shoppe you owe it to yourself. I'd buy the most complex, sublime, distinctive teas I could find and convince myself I'll never like the taste of tea and enjoy a latte at Starbucks. I'm willing too put up with a inquisitive consumer asking questions in the shoppe but not someone who goes directly to the head of a line with a phone call who will never show up even after asking for directions. When it comes to tea be prepared for a few surprises and many disappointments. My biggest surprise this year Java tea. It goes directly to the head of my list for first time tea drinkers. It is a wonderful lite mello cup with no foreign harshness. My biggest disappointment Bai Hao. I can't imagine a Formosa tea tasting so lackluster. I just ran into a problem with Home Depot and won't be back till I get over it. I'll shop at the other big chain till something happens there. Jim "Cathy Weeks" > wrote in message roups.com>... > Had an odd experience with these folks. I just moved about 30-40 miles > south of Minneapolis, and was pretty excited that there was an > almost-local tea shop. > > I've been looking at Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs (we liked it the best of the > Republic of Tea's Oolongs), and I've looked at Stash, Tea Time in Palo > Alto, LSdT, Special Teas, and the prices vary wildly. > > I called La Societe', intending to place an order - they have some > advantages of being local and any order would get to me quickly, plus > they seem to be moderately priced. So I asked him at the Tea, and what > the differences were between their different varieties (floral, > regular, and monkey picked) and he (don't know who it was - employee, > owner, or what) told me that if I was new to tea, then he recommended > the basic variety, that the monkey picked was much more complex. Then > I asked that why the prices varied so much from place to place, and he > basically said "I'm not going to get into this now; thanks for calling" > and hung up. His tone was not rude in the least, but his actions were. > > Now, what I wanted to know was: > > 1. Did I break some unspoken rule of tea etiquette by asking about the > differences in prices? (ie, was I rude first?). I don't believe my tone > was rude or argumentative. > 2. Are they usually this... abrupt? > > My initial response was to swear never to set foot in their premises or > place any order from them, ever. But I've read quite a few positive > comments about them, which makes me think that this wasn't their usual > behavior. > > Cathy Weeks |
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I live in the twin cities and I also ran a fowl of the above merchant.
He had nothing to offer, all overpriced. I get my teas from TEA SOURE in st paul, on cleveland a half a block north of ford parkway. neat place good prices, great service. I am just a customer. OT there is a coffee roaster across the street. tom |
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