Stop Starbucks from closing Teavana Tea!

Below is a complaint that I recently filed with Starbucks that summarizes my feelings as to why it is profoundly unacceptable to close the Institution of wellness known as Teavana Tea:

Good afternoon,

My name is Jermaine Stephens. I am a loyal customer-visiting my local cafes (Crestwood) on a weekly basis. I was truly saddened to hear that the co. intends to close and discontinue all Teavana products. I implore you to reconsider because of the general impact that such a decision will produce.

To clarify, Ive been a Teavana fan for about a decade. I became a huge fan during a time period when I decided to refrain from drinking coffee. I tend to be frugal but there are no limits when it comes to purchasing teavana tea. Ive literally tried over 30 flavors and remain a huge fan to this day due to the variety, flavor, and overall health related benefits.

I dont understand why this decision is necessary-I saw an article that mentioned that the stores were underperforming but I believe the overall benefit of the company outweighs the cost involved. Teavana to me is an institute of wellness simply put-there are stores located throughout the country that provide a resource that would otherwise not be available to the community. The teas are almost exclusively carried and would be unavailable in areas where alternatives are desperately needed; it is well documented how poor american public health is and its partly related to our horrible eating and drinking habits. I would contest that Teavana is one of the few positive outlets that make a positive contribution to communal health and the country would be the biggest losers if all the stores were to shutter.

Another reason for reconsidering involves the impact the closing would have on the economy; there is currently a lawsuit suggesting the loss of revenue will undoubtedly have on local malls but what about the employees and the tea distributors who will suffer also? To me this is contrary to what Starbucks prides itself upon; I go into the cafes and regularly drink Pike Place brew and consider this a small momento to remember how the co. once started on a smaller scale and thrived by catering to an underrepresented market. How does the same not apply to Teavana? And why doesnt Starbucks take into consideration all of the Tea drinkers who dont drink coffee whose business they will lose in the process?

I realize that this is a decision that ultimately involves a serious investment on the company's part but why does it have to be absolute? Starbucks purchased Teavana in 2012-is 5 years enough time to change a company's structure? I could see closing some stores or maybe limiting sales only to online purchases but eliminating all services appears to be extremely nearsighted. In today's economy companies have to make drastic decisions that don't agree with everyone but normally those organizations tend to be less fortunate. Let's face it, Starbucks is a multibillion dollar conglomerate that is still expanding, and I would imagine that minor adjustments can be made to increase Teavana revenue if it was considered a priority.

I find no solace in the idea of selling the teas in grocery stores nor the idea of premixed drinks being available because the quality will suffer. I understand the premixed drinks will only be in four flavors-which gravely pales in comparison to the volume available at the stores or online. In addition, the stores are great cause it provides such a great experience to gain access to loose teas-they will probably sit on shelves indefinitely if carried only at the grocery stores.

Ultimately, this is a real tragedy for what is a relative pittance. Is it true the co. lost 10mil last year-is this what a 100 billion dollar co. that made 5.8 billion (700 mil last 2nd qtr) considers damaging? The fact of the matter is Teavana is yet another victim just like Tazo - but one the community cannot afford to lose. I am only one person but this will definitely change my opinion of the company. This is a bad deal when you consider the growth of local small scale coffee companies that will begin to eat into Starbucks revenue. This is the company's chance to monopolize an underappreciated industry-there will never be another Teavana and in the long term I think the company will regret this decision.