Teavana

OK, so as a new tea drinker I felt I needed to check the place out, even though other Unilocalers have given fair warning about the staff and prices. My 2 experiences have been different from what has been mentioned. Staff were friendly but not pushy, prices were as expected (they are in a high end mall, folks — the rent must be paid) and the tea was fine. I liked that they would make a cuppa of whatever they sold (rather than «this is the flavor of the day») and even though $ 4.99 is a bit steep for a cuppa, it is a one-​time leaning experience and is helpful in learning whether you want to take this tea home or not. The only warning I might give is that, in one case, they added a bit of rock sugar to the store sample pot of the mixed chai, so it is sweeter than the actual tea that you might buy.

I’ll start by saying this is fantastic tea. It’s delicious, even if they have started some misconceptions for tea brewing.
That doesn’t excuse the fact you can’t set foot in the store without sewing your wallet shut. I recommend not shopping at an actual location, unless you’re getting a to-​go drink. The pushy sales staff continues to aggressively upsell and obfuscate their ridiculous prices (the other reviewers have experienced similar situations), so that it’s impossible to shop within budget.
You could try ordering online (might be worth it for the delicious tea), or try Adagio Teas and sidestep the terrible staffing altogether.

After two years, I would have hoped that some other Unilocaler would have pointed out the flaws in my review. Alas, not. Perhaps I will make my satire more transparent from now on. Anyway, other reviewers are right about high prices and pushy staff. I stopped by recently to pick up a Christmas gift, though, and the employees were less pushy, but far less competent. Changes stemming from Starbucks’ new ownership? Maybe.

Very pushy staff — tried a sample and ended up spending almost $ 40 on tea. The tea was wonderful, but the price was not mentioned to me until I was standing at the counter and my salesman was trying to tell me I needed to keep my tea in a «very special» container that he was going to fill for me. During that sales pitch I noticed the price for the tea on the container he was holding — 24.95 for 2 oz! I immediately mentioned the price and he acted like it was no big deal. I do take some responsibility for not stopping him right there and walking out but I honestly couldn’t get a word in and the next thing I knew was walking out with the most expensive tea I will ever own. Never ever walking past their entrance again!

The sales staff is unbearable. I looked into their sales practice and they have a SIX WEEK training process to churn out very aggresive sales people. I have been to three different locations and I do my best to walk on the other side of the hall when going past here because it’s stressful to think about how pushy they are and how often I have to say no.

Pushy sales staff, and they also use some dishonest tactics. I get pretty uncomfortable even walking by the place now, which is a shame since I do like the tea on the whole (note: expensive!).

I had just received a coupon from Starbuck’s for $ 10 off a $ 30 purchase at Teavana, so I decided to buy some tea for my husband as a present. (The tea at Teavana is good but really expensive, so we definitely consider it an indulgence.) I get to the store (3pm, 5÷23÷2013), and I’m checking out the samples outside the store when a saleswoman comes up to me and starts telling me all about the teas. She was very salesy, spoke in an overly aggressive tone, and couldn’t read that I wanted some space to check things out on my own, but whatever — I realized that she was trying to do her job. But then she kept getting under my feet and butting in after I told her that I just wanted to look around. At the counter she shooed another employee away when it was my turn, which definitely made me feel like she’s working on commission. She then proceeded to try to up-​sell me on everything. She automatically put my purchase in the $ 7 containers rather than letting me know that she could have put them in regular bags. She measured out 2.5 oz instead of the 2.0 that I originally asked for (though, to be fair, she asked if that was ok & I said yes), and when I asked her to put my tea into bags instead of the canisters, she (very loudly) tried to make me feel cheap by announcing that «you’re already saving $ 10.» Other customers turned around and looked when she said this. I don’t like being made to feel like I’m not spending enough when I just blew $ 35 on TEA, after the discount. The name on receipt says her name is Stephanie, though I don’t know if that’s right. There was another gal there who had helped me out the last time I was there, and she was FANTASTIC. She took time, answered my questions, and wasn’t pushy. I wish she hadn’t already been busy helping someone else; it would have been a completely different experience. As it was, I walked away feeling lousy that I had just spent so much money instead of feeling excited to surprise my husband.