Of the numerous commodities dealt in by the grocer there is none so important as that of Tea, this importance being due to its value as a trade-making, trade-retaining and profit-producing article, particularly when furnished of such quality as to give permanent satisfaction to the general public as well as to the regular customer. But notwithstanding its importance in these respects there is no article handled by the grocer the quality and value of which is so little understood by the average dealer. Again assailed as the retail grocery business now is by keen competition from so many queer Teas, the necessity for a better knowledge of and more careful attention to the article is at once apparent if the grocer—to whom its sale of right belongs—is not to find the almost entire withdrawal of this article from his line of business.
To properly understand the selecting and blending of Teas is therefore to be possessed of a valuable and profitable knowledge; but while such proficiency is not within the scope of every dealer, the study of these points to any extent will prove not only lucrative but entertaining and instructive. And while it may be claimed that such a study will occupy too much valuable time, or that it is much more economical to purchase from the wholesale Tea blender, still the great importance of a better acquaintance with such knowledge and experience must be evident to the dealer. For the proper blending of Tea the dealer should be provided with a small kettle and other apparatus for filtering and boiling the water as conveniently and rapidly as possible. Small scales for weighing the samples of Tea to be tested, pots for drawing and cups for tasting, and so start from the beginning.
Samples of the Teas desired having been procured from different houses should then be drawn and tested and a careful examination made of the leaves of each, their size, color, condition and smell being closely noted. In such drawings all Teas of an objectionable character should be set aside, and those remaining on the boards carefully arranged in the order of their value; but should any doubt exist in giving a decision between the several samples as to their superiority, then the drawing should be repeated and the poorer ones rejected, thus narrowing down the contest to the best Teas. Again, where it proves difficult to decide between the cup qualities of those remaining, then the size, style, condition and weight of the dry leaf should be taken into consideration, which will be found helpful in making the required decision. The decision having been arrived at, however, the Tea considered best may also be higher in price than some others approximating to it in style and drawing qualities, and if it be found that it cannot be purchased except at a price considerably higher than others on the table approaching it closely, it will be better under such circumstances to select another Tea, grading second, or even third in quality, at a much lower figure. An excellent plan for the careful Tea blender is to have a “type” or standard sample of the Tea he desires to duplicate and which he has found to be satisfactory, and samples of Tea of the various kinds of known value should always be kept convenient for reference, and in air-tight tins, with their grade, price, character, chop mark and year of production marked thereon.
ART OF SELLING TEA.
The dealer having succeeded in selecting and blending Teas that will please his customers, the next most important consideration for him is how best to bring them before the notice of his trade and the public generally. In this case he must not treat his Tea as a “staple” article, but as an entirely new commodity requiring a special effort for its introduction. Nothing gives such a bad impression to Tea customers as careless and slovenly packing of Tea. All Tea bags should be of fine quality and neatly, if not artistically, printed, and great care should be taken to obtain neatness of appearance in tying them up. The dealer should also have some special and appropriate name for his blends, this brand appearing prominently on the package, together with specific instructions for drawing the Tea. Small hand-bills, brief, pointed and attractive, describing the merits of the blend may also be placed in every purchase of other goods and sugar, and other bags or wrappers should contain special notices so that they may reach others who do not buy Tea, and the clerks or salesmen should also be instructed to talk up the Tea frequently but judiciously as possible.
The dealer should ascertain where customers for other goods get their Tea, what variety or grade it is, what price they pay for it, and, if possible, obtain a sample of it. Then test it carefully and be prepared to show that he can not only match it, but furnish a better one in both price and quality, giving them samples at the same time to prove it. And again, if a tea customer should quit dealing suddenly he should immediately find out the cause and endeavor to remedy it. He should also send out samples occasionally throughout the neighborhood of a line of Teas that he may deem suitable to the locality. But above and beyond all other efforts to increase his Tea trade, he should handle only high-grade Teas, endeavoring at all times to prove that the finer Teas are the most economical and satisfactory to purchase in the end, as the finer grades yield a larger margin of profit to the dealer and better satisfaction to the consumer, while it has a tendency to create favorable comment and win an increasing Tea trade.