A routine shopping stop in Berlin turned into a frightening experience for comedian Zarna Garg, who has alleged that she was trapped inside a restroom at a Hermès store for more than an hour. What began as a situation she initially treated as a joke, she said, became increasingly distressing as her family and team waited outside while attempts to open the door appeared to stall.
Zarna Garg recalls being locked inside Hermès restroom
Sharing her account on Instagram, the Indian-American comedian said she was locked inside the bathroom at the Hermès store in Berlin for around one hour and 20 minutes. According to Garg, the door was difficult to break open and staff were reluctant to damage it.
“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!” she wrote, adding that there was “no apology, no explanation, not a word of comfort” offered afterwards, including to her children and team who were waiting outside.
Garg said she initially tried to keep the situation light. She described the bathroom door as a “cheap, flimsy piece of plywood” and said she and her team began recording the incident, imagining they could turn it into a funny video.
“I made an origami village of paper towels and played games like guess how many towels I’m holding,” she recalled.
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However, her tone changed as more time passed. Garg claimed that her team eventually became concerned that the staff were not making enough progress and asked managers to call the fire department. She alleged that the store remained adamant about protecting the door.
According to Garg, she was eventually asked to push against the door but was then told to “back away” as staff attempted to work on it with a crowbar. She said alarms went off during the process, leaving her worried that equipment being used could potentially injure her.
After approximately 80 minutes, Garg said she was finally able to get out. What happened next, she claimed, left her equally upset.
“No one says a word, apologizes, or makes eye contact with me,” she alleged. Garg said an employee then handed her a bottle of champagne, which she described as a possible “peace offering”. She and her team declined it.
The comedian, who noted that she is a lawyer, speculated that the store's legal team may have advised employees not to comment on the incident. She also acknowledged her own mixed feelings about sharing the experience, saying her social media presence is generally positive.
Turning the episode into one of her trademark observations, Garg joked about the irony of a brand known for difficult-to-open bags having a bathroom door that was, in her words, “impossible to open and close.”
Her daughter, Zoya Garg, also responded to the incident, highlighting the importance of having company while travelling. “The true reminder here is no one should go to new places in abroad locations alone,” she wrote, adding that if her mother had been by herself, she was unsure how long it would have taken to get her out. Zoya credited the German firefighters who eventually helped them, calling them “amazing firemen of Germany.”
