India-born comedian gets locked inside Hermès restroom: ‘No apology, no explanation’

Zarna Garg, an Indian-American comedian, took to Instagram alleging that she was stuck in a Hermès restroom in Germany for over an hour while the staff adamantly refused to break the “flimsy” door to rescue her. She further claimed that even after everything, none of the employees at the Berlin store bothered to apologise or give an explanation.Snippets from a video shared Zarna Garg. (Instagram/@zarnagarg)What did Zarna Garg allege?“We are all freaked out because I was locked shut in the bathroom of the Hermes store in Berlin for over an hour and no one cared!” India-born comedian Zarna Garg, who now lives in the US, wrote on Instagram.Also Read: Indian-origin comedian who escaped arranged marriage at 14 opens up about her success after ‘decades of failures’She alleged, “No apology, no explanation, not a word of comfort was offered. Not even to my kids or team who were watching in horror on the other side. I was locked in behind a door that was a cheap, flimsy piece of plywood in violation of the fire code.”Recalling the moment, she continued, “At first we made light of it. Things happen. We started recording thinking we’ll make a funny video about what you can do when locked in a bathroom. I made an origami village of paper towels and played games like guess how many towels I’m holding.”However, as time passed, things started getting serious. Garg explained, “As time went on, we got concerned that they were making no headway and demanded the managers call the Fire Department. The store was adamant that the door needed to be protected! It became clear that we were in a hostile territory.”At one point, “They asked me to start pushing the door but then yelled ‘back away’ as they jammed it with a crowbar. Alarms went off and I was scared that they had some equipment to blow the door open and possibly injure me.”It took over an hour for Garg to be rescued, and that too only after the fire department intervened. “After an hour and 20 minutes, I make it out. No one says a word, apologizes, or makes eye contact with me. On the way out, an associate pushes a cheap bottle of champagne into my hands. A peace offering? We declined and they closed the door behind us and locked it shut.”Recalling the tense aftermath of the incident, Garg pointed out how the luxury brand’s staff immediately went tight-lipped. “I’m a lawyer, I understand it. Their legal team probably advised them not to say a word.”Stepping away from her usual upbeat social media persona, the comedian explained why she felt forced to document and expose the alleged hostile encounter.“I write this with conflicted feelings as we’re an adamantly positive page, but this ended so badly with such hostility that we felt compelled to share footage and dialogues of people involved.”“Also, how ironic that the company that makes a bag that is impossible to open and close now has a bathroom door that is impossible to open and close. Shakespearean tragedy but also so authentic. Useless bag, useless door, useless people,” Gard wrote and concluded the post.Garg also shared a video showing her stuck in a bathroom. Her team and daughter standing outside ask a man and then a woman to break down the door, but they refuse. The comedian ultimately gets out after the fire department uses specialised tools to pry the door open.At one point, a man claims that he told Garg’s daughter that the door was broken. However, the youngster denies having any knowledge about it. Towards the end of the video, one woman tries to give Garg a bag with a champagne bottle, but she refuses to take it.(Hindustantimes.com has reached out to Hermès. This report will be updated when the brand responds.)What did social media say?An individual commented, “So glad you’re ok, this is terrifying.” Another posted, “Omg! Can’t believe this actually happened! What a shame . Glad you’re safe.”Also Read: ‘No matter what you do, I won’t deliver’: Woman alleges delivery boy refused her parcelA third expressed, “I can’t believe how polite and generous you all were here! Really! At this point, it’s not even about them being a luxury store and behaving better, but just the very basics that should be expected!” A fourth wrote, “When did we learn to value a door over a human being? If my mother were in there, I would’ve broken it myself. They would’ve had to arrest me.”Zarna Garg’s daughter’s reaction:Zoya Garg reacted to her mother’s Instagram post and shared, “The true reminder here is no one should go to new places in abroad locations alone. If mom was stuck herself, I’m not sure how long it would’ve taken for her to get out. We were hovering and freaking out and making a fuss until the amazing firemen of Germany helped us!”