Teavana Tea Store

I’ve been to Teavana several times, although this is the only location I have visited. It definitely is very pricey and the selling is aggressive, to the point where I have left the store before I was ready simply to get away from it. I agree wholeheartedly with many of the other reviewers about overpouring the tea when measuring.
Yesterday, I went to Teavana to purchase a specific tea for someone who doesn’t live here. The person had asked me to get two ounces of their favorite tea. I asked the sales person for «2 ounces». She stated, «Ok, I’ll just put a couple scoops in here and we’ll see what we get… Ok, 7.2 ounces, that ok? No, it is not ok. I asked for two ounces and she wanted me to buy over seven? This tea, one of the less expensive ones, goes for $ 3.99 per ounce and there is a two ounce minimum. The price for what I requested is $ 7.98 plus tax, and the price she threw me was $ 28.72 plus tax. Then she tried to sell me a tin. After I told her that I wanted two ounces, as I asked for, I still ended up with 2.9 ounces, so basically three ounces! Total bill $ 11.69. Since I can’t go there without this underhanded selling technique, I won’t go there again. This approach works with people who cannot say «no,» but I’m not one of them.

I would give Teavana a better rating if they didn’t make the shopping experience SO annoying. They follow you around attempting to sell every little gadget and container in the store.
The tea I purchased was flavorful but at the pricey end of the scale. They over measured my tea as well — which brought the price up $ 3. When you are paying by the ounce, a little extra can add up quickly.
I do like the teas, but I will probably try local tea stores before venturing into the upselling and annoying world of Teavana again.

My favorite place to buy tea out here. A little on the pricey side but its worth it. The staff is always nice, esp. Love how they give samples of the tea, & help you pick out tea best for you.

I completely agree with some of these reviews. Teavana at Market Place Mall is the car dealership of tea shops. They are so sales-​driven that it creates an uncomfortable environment for the customers. When I said I wanted 1 scoop of tea, they filled up the entire canister just to «show me how it looked,» and I had to ask three times before they poured out enough tea to leave the amount I wanted.
They push every opportunity to rack up your total bill. I will not be returning to this store.

I love shopping at Teavana and trying all their new and interesting teas.
They always have the most knowledgeable associates who can answer any tea related questions you have and always have great recommendations for tea blends.
They are a little on the pricey side and you do have to watch when they pour or you could end up paying an extra few dollars for over pouring but you really cannot beat the flavors they offer.
try their various flavors of honey you will not be disappointing.

I find it really annoying when clerks in a store constantly try to sell me things, and there’s no getting around the fact that if you walk into Teavana (or pass by close enough to the entrance) they will bug you at every opportunity and try to make you buy something. As the previous review mentioned, they also give you significantly more tea than you ask for (e.g. I asked for 4 oz. of tea and the woman measured out 4.6 – apparently that’s «a little over 4 oz» in Teavana lingo). Frankly, this approach seems a little underhanded to me. I like Teavana as a company and I like their teas. I would buy things from here much more happily if the actual experience wasn’t so sales-​driven. The more they try to sell me things, the less I want to buy things… funny how that works.
Personally, I don’t really want to hear the salespeople give me a spiel about the health benefits of certain teas or brewing methods or what ever (if you like that kind of shopping experience, maybe you’ll enjoy it here). If I have questions, I’ll ask. Unfortunately I usually have to make my disinterest really uncomfortably apparent in order to get the salespeople to go away and just leave me to browse. It’s not really the greatest shopping experience.
I know this is the case at all Teavana locations and isn’t specific to this location, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone who hasn’t been to Teavana before.
Overall, I like their teas and buy them as an occasional treat. Their tea can be quite expensive and it didn’t seem like they had a huge selection here (only 2 or 3 varieties of chai?). I’ll probably try the bulk teas at Common Ground or Strawberry Fields next time I need to stock up – at least I know the salespeople there won’t try to sell me extra crap I don’t need.

Teavana Tea Store is a great addition to the Market Place Mall as there are not many tea-​specific shops in Champaign. I was very excited about the new Teavana as I have had experience with them at other locations. While Teavana has some of your classic favorites (i.e. green, white, or black teas), the store specializes in their special blended fusion tea, most of which have a nice, unique smell and taste. Teavana also sells German rock sugar, which they sell in bulk quantities and add to a lot of the teas they have for sampling. They also have an assortment of tea kettles, infusers, and cast iron tea teapots. While Teavana is a great place with their AMAZING tasting specialty teas, there are many downsides to their customer service, especially this new one in Champaign.
As you pass by the store, you are greeted at the entrance with a couple of tea samples. Usually, if you like the samples enough, they tell you how there are more teas to sample in the store. However, after talking about the samples with the greeters, there was not an indication that there were other samples in the store or the fact that they even wanted me to come in to see their other selection. The greeters at this location are pretty lackadaisical. I don’t know if it because I went during the winter break on a weekday when the mall was not busy but it is pretty bad for their business. Once you enter, the staff usually direct you to the other teas and give you a run down on each tea and various ways it impacts your health and wellness. There was none of that at this location. My general impression that the staff at this location were not well-​versed or prepared for any detailed questions about the tea. My experience at other Teavana locations are that the staff are very knowledgeable about the tea and have tried most of the teas on display, and they are also able to give good suggestions about mixing particular teas together. Additionally, the location does not seem to have the entire collection that their other counterparts have. In general, this Teavana at this location does not compare to their other locations in the Chicagoland area.
There are some general rules though you must guard yourself against when going to any Teavana. Teavana is all about pushing and selling their teas and products. In general, the teas are expensive for what you get per ounce and for most of the teas, you have to get at least 2oz. Therefore, it can become really expensive it they are not weighing out for what you ask. THEY ALWAYS UP SELL. If you ask for 2oz, they will pour in some, take out some and then it will be around 2.8oz. Usually, they will say, «That is a little over 2oz. Is that okay?» You have to make sure they give for what you are asking. After weighing out your tea, they will try to sell you tins or canisters for tea or pounds of German rock sugar. It’s all part of their up sell. You just have to realize that they will do their best to sell you anything and everything.
Overlooking these downsides, they do have great tea. My favorites are Opus Rouge, Darjeeling, and Berry Mint Cassis. If the Teavana staff at this location were a little more knowledge about their teas, then you would have an easier time getting good advice on the various selection they have. However, it is still worthwhile to just go in and try some samples and taste some of their delicious tea.