We Hate Teavana: A story from a conscientious insider
I spot a potential customer. She walks by, not seeing my well-concealed hunger for a hefty sale from her. I draw the blinds on the windows to my soul with as sincere a smile as I can muster. As my hands raise my tea tray to her eye level, my amicable mask annunciates the words, “Come try some…
The fun thing about this page is that the sales person in you is clearly who you are as a person. You aren’t helping people by telling them these things and you arent all of a sudden a hero. You are simply playing the same game as you claim teavana to be doing. You “hate” teavana for doing the same thing that any sales environment yields (average ticket/bonuses/high fives) and you also seem to be throwing out half truths. 1 tsp of german rock sugar = 2 of cane sugar which means at 33 calories per teaspoon cane sugar =66 calories for every 25 calorries of german rock sugar. Also since it’s beet sugar your body processes it way easier. As for natural/artificial flavorings…at corporate training it has been verified that all flavorings are natural and dairy free as well. As for the organic aspect….usda certification takes a long time, most tea crops in general are so differen from flush to flush that it’s really not possible to get them certified plus it’s extremely expensive on the farmers. We do however get 5 tests done by the fda which are the only tests that any food item actually has to pass yet we go above and beyond that and get the 51 tests from the european trade certified for each of our teas as well….that’s ALL 51 and we dont have to do that. If you don’t like teavanas sales process and you have to “close the blinds on your soul” to do it….then you’re doing it wrong. It’s not about forcing people into sales, it’s about getting them interested in products they have no clue about and showing them the best way to make tea,the highest quality tea etc….that doesn’t mean you force them to buy those things, you just let them know it exists. If they want to spend 20 dollars that is totally fine, there are just better options out there so showing them opens their mind to the possibility….and by the way,you sell products at all sales jobs…thats the point. The customer has every chance to say “no” and walk out if they dont want things…if they buy it,it was worth the money in their mind….theres no reason to feel bad unless you didnt listen to your customer very well and were trying to trick them into a huge sale. Not all stores have this crazy competition we are taught to work as a team….bonuses are just that….a bonus for a good job….not something you HAVE to go for.A high sale should be a high sale because you taught your customer, they got interested, and wanted everything you showed them….not you forcing it. That’s the difference between a good sales person and someone who doesnt know what they are doing. Also quality wise anyone walking into a mall tea store isnt going to know where to find high quality oolong tea let alone high quality herbals….teavana is the best they will ever know….also monkey picked oolong is a high end tie guan yin oolong with the mid range orchid tones,and gets the buttery thickness that only high quality oolongs offer if brewed properly with a gaiwan and 20 resteeps you would know that but apparently youve never tried it at home yourself properly to know that haha. Also keep in mind for yourself trying to ease your conscience…no one forces you to work at this company, you did it of your own free will and enjoyed it. Salesperson.
