NY woman goes inside Hermès store bathroom. 70 minutes later, firefighters arrived to get her out: ‘Shakespearean tragedy’

New York-based stand-up comedian Zarna Garg just found herself in a bizarre and frustrating situation while touring Europe. At an Hermès store in Berlin, she found herself stuck in a bathroom. It then turned into an ordeal that lasted over an hour and required the intervention of local firefighters. Garg and her family captured the entire experience on video. It has since exploded on TikTok and Instagram, racking up over 4.8 million views in just one day.

In the footage, you can see store employees struggling with a sliding door that simply refused to budge. Right at the beginning, one of Garg’s companions asks a store employee if the door is fire code compliant, to which the employee simply shakes his head and says, “No.” Garg herself noted the irony of the situation while trapped inside, saying, “The sliding door just won’t open. It is very funny that a place that is so persnickety about perfection, this is happening there.”

First, the staff made multiple attempts by the staff to pry the door open, while an alarm blared in the background. Then, at the 40-minute mark, firefighters arrived on the scene. At the hour mark, one of Garg’s team requests that they break the door down. They even offer to pay, but the staff refused. At that point, they pointedly asked, “So the only reason we haven’t broken down this door is cause you wanna protect the door?” The employee confirmed this with a simple “Yes, a little bit.”

A luxurious trap

Through the entire ordeal, Garg tried to keep the mood light. At one point, she joked through the door, “The door is like the Birkin. You can’t open it. You can’t close it.” However, by the time the door finally opened after 70 minutes, the mood was far from celebratory. In the video, we see Garg and her team discuss an alleged lack of apology or any show of empathy from the staff. 

Instead, at one point, an employee attempted to shove a bag with a bottle of champagne into Garg’s hand as a peace offering. She just pats Garg on the shoulder, saying, “Something for you.” Garg and her group immediately declined. The final insult came when an employee followed them to the exit and claimed they had told the family the door was broken beforehand, a claim Garg strongly denied. As she countered his statement, he simply shut the door on them.

German law generally places a duty on property owners to maintain safe conditions for visitors. According to the legal guide site Lawzana, premises liability in Germany is covered under general civil liability provisions of the German Civil Code, specifically Sections 823 and 836. 

These principles, often referred to as Verkehrssicherungspflicht, or traffic safety obligations, mandate that property owners must ensure their premises do not pose unreasonable risks to customers. According to the site, this legal framework highlights that businesses have a clear obligation to keep their facilities, including bathrooms, in safe working order.

Community reaction was intense, with many users on social media expressing shock at the lack of empathy shown by the staff in the footage. One TikTok user commented, “Prioritizing the door over a human being is so inhumane,” while another pointed out the lack of basic safety signage, writing, “‘We told you the door is broken’ then put a sign on it!!!! Bruuuh.” Recently, a Utah man also needed the firefighters when he got trapped in a bathroom during a pickleball game. 

On Instagram, users were equally vocal. One person asked, “What is the meaning of that rude employee at the end of the clip GASLIGHTING the customer???” 

Garg’s own daughter chimed in with advice in the comments: “The true reminder here is no one should go to new places in abroad locations alone. If mom was stuck by herself, I’m not sure how long it would’ve taken for her to get out.” She went on to thank the fire team. In a different instance, a fire team went out of their way and even broke out the big ladder to help a doctor who got locked out.

Garg herself shared her conflicted feelings in the post’s caption, explaining that she felt compelled to share the experience because of the alleged hostility they encountered by the end. It should be noted that this is her perspective and edit of the events, and thus can’t be verified. 

In the caption, Garg wrote, “I’m a lawyer, I understand it. Their legal team probably advised them not to say a word.” She concluded by saying, “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.”