I have never felt so condescended to before in my life.

[alarimer]

I think I might have found the apex of snootiness at Teavana. So sue me, I don't know how your stupid store works or much about tea, other than I think the crap they sell in the grocery store is terrible. And $20 for four ounces is kind of ridiculous, but it does make about 40 cups, so 50 cents a piece. Still, I don't think I'll ever set foot in there again.

[KMOD]

1. I love tea, and am an avid tea drinker,

but yeah, some of these tea houses are the new uppity, snobby, ooooooh look at me, places to be.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. found this...

http://www.teanerd.com/2008/12/teavana-ex-employees-account.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. These days I get my tea at the farmers market

we also get the coffee. We find the service that much better, and I admit, the tea making vessel I bought for myself, is extremely good. (and compact)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. I've never been there, but there's a local tea shop I like.

http://www.teasource.com/ They are not at all condescending and they sell a tea called Teasource Gold that makes the best iced tea ever.

[pinboy3niner]

5. I don't blame you for not wanting to put up with that for oo long

[Arugula Latte]

6. I imagine the OP felt chai-ded by the snooty Teavana workers.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Not to mention the steep prices

[Art_from_Ark]

12. Cha-ching!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I don't blame the OP for succumbing to a fit of pekoe.

[Arugula Latte]

10. The strain was showing!

[pinboy3niner]

16. Oh, sure, easy for you to spout off

Especially with your coffee handle.

[Arugula Latte]

28. Look, there's no need for you to get steamed.

[Warren DeMontague]

45. And then everyone

Leaves

[pinboy3niner]

9. Getting hooked on their expensive tea will make you Pu-Erh

Time to get that Golden Monkey off your back.

[CrawlingChaos]

11. I would go in and ask for the Lipton's

But hey, I'm just a lower socioeconomic no-account easily impressed by the technology of the flow-through bag.

In all seriousness, I'm a coffee fanatic myself and as much as I love coffee houses, they can be pretty insufferable too. You sometimes feel like you've stepped into an episode of Portlandia.

[pinboy3niner]

13. But when everybody orders Lipton's it just turns into a real kettle call

[CrawlingChaos]

15. I'm just gonna leaf well enough alone

and not even try to keep up with you

[Phentex]

22. I like this idea!

I hate snobs of any kind especially when they really ought to try and make sale instead.

I love the idea of asking for Liptons. But as I said in another thread, they were helpful to me. That stuff is a treat though. Way too expensive for everyday people.

[CrawlingChaos]

41. I hate snobs too

I always remember some comedian I saw once (I think it was Kathleen Madigan) who talked about going into Neiman Marcus and asking which floor for tires. I've always wanted to do something like that.

But, by the same token, I can get pretty excited about a truly great cup of coffee. Trouble is, it's hard to go back to the mediocre once you've had the best, but I can't afford the best all the time (or my idea of the best, which is probably far from the actual best).

[Gidney N Cloyd]

23. Or just bark at them "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." I bet they don't hear that one enough.

[pinboy3niner]

14. I know it's tempting to feel you artichoke somebody, but it's best to re-strain yourself

I had some fantastic artichoke tea ('Cha Artichaut') in Dalat, Vietnam, but I learned the hard way that it's best taken in moderation to avoid explosive results.

[MrMickeysMom]

17. I've gone there and get gift coupons from/for others...

Usually, the personnel are what I call "typical young mall workers, socially naive", which is not to say it's an excuse for their cluelessness. The Teavana locally has them offer samplings, then asks you if you've ever bought their before, once you come in. I get their product, but not often, as it's a treat, and it's fair trade. I've also gotten a thermos from them for bringing bulk tea to work and things like that.

If you're dealing with clueless non-trained, try stepping back, cocking your head and asking how long they've worked with the public. Don't tell them why, just find another person in that store. They'll get the message. I'm not afraid to do that and it gives them something to think about-work related, if they want to last long enough in a retail job.

[alarimer]

18. Apparently, aggressiveness in sales people is kind of their thing.

Ive found a number of sites that complain about exactly what I experienced, condescension mixed with aggressive sales tactics.

[NV Whino]

19. I see trouble brewing in this thread

[pinboy3niner]

20. Oh c'mon, this is just Sleepytime stuff

[whistler162]

25. Yup this thread is steeped in it.

[Phentex]

21. That's a shame. They were helpful to me when I went there...

I am not a tea drinker except for some unsweet tea at restaurants but my husband likes flavored teas. I went there to get him some gifts for Christmas and I was up front with them about knowing nothing about what they sold. It looks like pot pourri to me.

They had me try all kinds of things and helped me pick out a tea mug with an infuser that he could use at work. I went back another time to get a gift for a friend and there was a little boy having a complete meltdown in the store. He even dumped a container of tea on the floor. The sales people could not have been friendlier. The mortified mom was trying to clean it up and rush the boy out of the store but one salesperson asked if she could offer the boy some tea instead. The other one cleaned up the tea. It looked to me like they really wanted to make a sale!

I am sorry they made you feel bad. That's how I have felt at cosmetic counters over the years.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

24. I got the snooty treatment at a small pet supplies store once.

They were new to the shopping center so I popped in and looked for the dog food brand I always get. I asked for help when I didn't see it and the response I get is a very icy 'we don't carry grocery store brands here.' Apparently it was more immediately important to him to condescend than to make a sale because he could have spun it more like 'we don't carry that brand-- let me tell you about some of the brands we do carry and why we chose to carry them.' You got my ass in the store and that's half the sales job-- now all you have to do is upsell me a bit.

[blogslut]

26. Try a local Asian market.

Tea paradise.

[Major Nikon]

27. Or online

[MrScorpio]

29. You'll find me grabbing some green tea in the Kroger's aisle nt

[LynneSin]

30. I've never had issues with Teavana before but I kinda know what I like from them

and prefer just ordering it online anymore.

What I do like is their tea stays pretty fresh even for a long period of time. I have a tin of tea I probably bought 5-7 years ago and I just used it yesterday and still good. (tins are reusable).

As for their stores - they are mall kids working it and I get the kind of service I expect from mall kids. But I haven't shopped there recently since they did discontinue my favorite brand a few years back (Plum Harvest). I usually only buy online with their sales stuff - good bargains to be found.

[alarimer]

31. Well this particular mall strikes me as being aimed at the snootier set.

All the high-end stores and weird, hipster-type places (like an entire store devoted to shaving, complete with very expensive, old-fashioned cutthroat razors and those brush things).

I swear I was looking for the artisanal toast restaurant, but didn't find it.

[seveneyes]

32. Kickin' in all the tea in China

[mackerel]

33. Darjeeling alarimer just relax and have another cuppa

[Enrique]

34. how good can tea be?

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2015, 08:18 PM - Edit history (1)

tea will always be a poor man's coffee.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

37. What is in vogue changes with the times. Lobster used to be considered crappy poor man's food.

There are coffee and beer snobs everywhere, it seems tea snobs are on the rise. This isn't an attack on the OP, but the rude clerks who dealt with the person.

[trof]

35. Tea actualy sucks.

Coffee is another matter, entirely.

[Enrique]

38. i should have done that in my post above

adding a winky face now.

[Skittles]

43. I have to agree

my mum was a Brit and I lived in England many years and the tea over there IS fantastic, but it just AIN'T the same here - in America it is strictly coffee for me, thank you very much!!!

[TK421]

46. A friend introduced me to PG Tips a few years ago

She picked up a box for my birthday and I have to say this is my favorite so far.

How you been? Haven't been around much since I had to move out of my apartment and stay at my sister's place for a while ( the ceiling in my apartment collapsed because my landlord did a poor patch job on the roof ).
Got some heavy rain and the thing busted open early in the morning.
Hell of a way to wake up, surrounded by water.

[Skittles]

48. my mum loved PG Tips

I'm alright - hanging in there.

I hear you about apartment woes, although so far I have escaped a disaster like that!

[TK421]

47. A friend introduced me to PG Tips a few years ago

She picked up a box for my birthday and I have to say this is my favorite so far.

How you been? Haven't been around much since I had to move out of my apartment and stay at my sister's place for a while ( the ceiling in my apartment collapsed because my landlord did a poor patch job on the roof ).
Got some heavy rain and the thing busted open early in the morning.
Hell of a way to wake up, surrounded by water.

[seveneyes]

36. Tea for two

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. such skill

[kentauros]

39. I've never heard of "Teavana" before this post.

There seems to be plenty of independent teahouses around, as well as the selection at Whole Foods, and a friendly local Tea Mistress for buying tea that I never thought to look for any other sources

Have you considered buying it online?

[HeiressofBickworth]

42. I order tea on-line from

Murchie's in Canada. It takes about 4 days for it to arrive, but worth the wait. I particularly like their No. 22 blend (green and black tea).

I would LIKE to go to the local tea shop but there is no parking anywhere near it so it's just easier to order on-line.

[olddots]

44. ask them for some Sanka

or if you could tea bag them listening to Nugent .