Zarna Garg says she was trapped inside a bathroom at a Hermès store in Berlin for around 80 minutes, alleging that staff initially refused to call firefighters and offered no apology after she was freed.
Indian-American comedian Zarna Garg says a routine visit to a Hermès store in Berlin turned into an unsettling ordeal after she was allegedly trapped inside a bathroom for around 80 minutes.
Garg, who is in Berlin for her Million-Dollar Excuses comedy tour, shared videos of the incident on Instagram, documenting the long wait to get out of the restroom. She claimed that while her children and team waited outside, store staff struggled to open the door and initially refused to call the fire department.
The incident has since drawn attention online, particularly because of Garg’s claims about how the luxury brand’s staff allegedly responded to the situation.
Zarna Garg says she was trapped inside Hermès bathroom
According to Garg’s account, the incident initially appeared to be a minor inconvenience. She said she and her team began joking about it and filming videos while waiting for the door to be opened.
Garg said the mood changed as it became clear that she was not going to be freed quickly. She described making an “origami village” out of paper towels and playing games while waiting inside the bathroom.
After the situation continued for some time, Garg said she and her team asked the store’s managers to call the fire department. She alleged that the staff refused, saying the door needed to be “protected”.
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Garg later claimed that employees asked her to push against the bathroom door from inside. She said they subsequently used a crowbar in an attempt to force it open and that alarms went off during the process.
The comedian said she became frightened that the equipment being used to open the door could injure her.
After approximately one hour and 20 minutes, Garg said she was finally able to leave the bathroom.
Garg says there was no apology after she was freed
According to Garg, the experience did not end when the bathroom door opened.
She alleged that the staff did not apologise or offer an explanation after she emerged. Garg said nobody spoke to her or made eye contact with her.
She also claimed that an employee handed her a bottle of champagne as she was leaving, which she interpreted as an attempted “peace offering”. Garg said she and her team declined it.
She further alleged that the employee closed and locked the bathroom door again after they left.
Zarna Garg raises questions about bathroom door
Garg also raised concerns about the construction of the bathroom door, describing it as a “cheap, flimsy piece of plywood” and alleging that it may not have complied with fire-safety requirements.
Those claims have not been independently established.
Garg, who has a legal background, said she understood why a company might be reluctant to make statements during an incident that could potentially have legal implications. However, she questioned the absence of what she considered a basic customer-service response after the ordeal.
The comedian’s Instagram post has prompted strong reactions from viewers, with several people expressing disbelief at her account of the incident.
Zarna Garg turns Hermès ordeal into a joke
Despite describing the experience as frightening, Garg ended her post with the kind of humour that has become central to her comedy.
Drawing a comparison between Hermès’ famously difficult-to-open bags and the bathroom door, she joked about the irony of a company associated with luxury bags having a bathroom door that was allegedly just as difficult to open.
The incident comes as Garg is in Berlin for her Million-Dollar Excuses comedy tour. Her Berlin show is scheduled for August 21 at the Punch Line Club.
For now, the claims remain Garg’s account of what happened inside the Hermès store. Any response from the luxury brand could provide further context about the incident and the store’s handling of the situation.