It would be good for Hermès if what happened at Hermès stayed at Hermès. Going by definition, Hermes was the Greek messenger god who carried news between the gods, humans and the underworld. On planet Earth, however, Hermès seems absolutely resolved to carry a rather different message, a bad reputation. Not the bags. Birkins are still loved, coveted and eternally queued for, but the people who play Hermes between the coveted goods and the customers who want them. Yes, they have god-like airs; yes, they seem ready to punish as well; yes, there is a high-handedness; and no, there is simply no validation or justification for riding that high horse and never getting off it.
The most recent example of the high-handedness of Hermès was witnessed during an unpleasant incident that took place at a German boutique of the French luxury label involving Indian-American comedian Zarna Garg. The bestselling author was trapped for 80 minutes in an Hermès bathroom in Berlin. Before one asks why it took 80 minutes to open a bathroom door at one of the world’s most upscale labels, there is an even simpler question, why did this happen at all? Adding insult to injury was the treatment Garg says she was met with afterward. As the ordeal dragged on, Hermès personnel were evidently concerned; not, Garg says, about Zarna, but about protecting the door. As her children and team waited outside, Zarna waited patiently on the other side.
Zoya Garg, Zarna’s daughter, COO and co-founder of Zarna Garg Productions, shared an exclusive quote on the incident with Luxurylaunches, “As you can see in the viral video, we were maintaining our spirits, composure, and humor until the very end, when the managers slammed the store door in my mom’s face. They acted as if it was her fault she was stuck in the Hermés bathroom for over an hour. They cared about protecting the integrity of a flimsy, plywood door over my mother’s time and sanity. It was atrocious.”
And apparently, that was where Hermès believed the matter ended. At the time of writing, the apology still hasn’t come. What did come, as a final insult, was a bottle of inexpensive champagne. The boutique then, according to Garg’s account, coldly shut and locked the door behind them. Hermès may rarely have a Birkin or Kelly readily available for its customers, but hostility, it seems, is served promptly.
And celebrity, apparently, offers little immunity. Several A-listers have encountered unpleasantness of their own at Hermès. Very recently, Savannah James, wife of LeBron James, and her friend April McDaniel said they were turned away from an Hermès boutique in Italy despite having a scheduled shopping appointment. In 2005, even Oprah Winfrey, one of the world’s richest and most famous women, said an Hermès employee made her feel unwelcome. The episode was followed by Hermès introducing employee sensitivity training. It has been two decades, and I think the employees still haven’t learned a thing.
And the complaints are hardly confined to Berlin or celebrity clientele. Similar accounts have surfaced across Hermès boutiques around the world. A 2024 customer who had already spent the equivalent of more than five Birkins with Hermès went into an Hermès boutique merely to collect an online bag order. She claims both she and another woman waited more than 30 minutes without being acknowledged. When they finally approached someone, the reported response was effectively, “No, busy, can’t help you, keep waiting.” For a store that almost never seems to have anything for anybody, it sure seems awfully busy.
Another Hermès enthusiast wrote in April 2026 that her experiences at the Florence and Wynn Las Vegas boutiques changed her perception of the brand, adding that she’d received better customer service at McDonald’s. The examples keep coming, as though Hermès has discovered a bottomless reserve of hostility. For a brand whose sales culture has been accused of going to extraordinary lengths to assess customers, from spending history to neighborhoods and social media, before deciding whether they can be blessed with a Birkin, it sure does zilch when it comes to self-reflection. Perhaps half that hard work could help people buy their next bag with a touch of happiness and a glass of water.
