a former manager of the store here and one of her co-workers, people talking on adagio's boards about it. it is a process that they are starting slowly.
yes, it is generalized, but it's a founded generalization. they spend all day opening the teas and doing that stupid air push thing with the lids, airing out the tea and causing it to go stale at a much, much quicker rate than a retailer who doesn't do that. not to mention, bags of tea that are opened in the stock room aren't transported immediately to their overpriced tea tins, some can sit back there for days, opened and airing out.