'Always shocked': Vir Sanghvi calls out 'snobbish' behaviour at Delhi mall luxury stores. X users relate

Several users sharing similar accounts about customer treatment in high-end stores.

A post on X by journalist and author Vir Sanghvi describing an unpleasant experience at designer outlets in Delhi has attracted significant attention online, prompting a wider conversation about the behaviour of sales staff at high-end retail stores.

In the post, Sanghvi criticised what he described as dismissive attitude by employees at certain designer boutiques located in DLF Promenade Mall, particularly naming stores associated with Dior and Scentido.

Sharing his experience on the platform X, Sanghvi wrote: “Always shocked by how snobbish sales people at so called designer stores in Delhi malls are. At @dior at Promenade Vasant Kunj, the salesman was obnoxious & rude. At nearby @ScentidoIndia they were aggressive & patronising.”

He further questioned the behaviour of Indian staff working for international luxury labels, writing: “What makes Indians who work for foreign brands feel so superior to ordinary people? It disgraces the brands themselves & suggests that this is how they feel about Indians.”

Always shocked by how snobbish sales people at so called designer stores in Delhi malls are . At @dior at Promenade Vasant Kunj, the salesman was obnoxious & rude. At nearby @ScentidoIndia they were aggressive & patronising. What makes Indians who work for foreign brands feel so… pic.twitter.com/SZYzcLwPWx

— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) March 11, 2026

The post quickly circulated widely on social media, prompting numerous responses from users who said they had encountered similar situations at luxury retail outlets in Delhi.

Several people responding to the post described incidents they said showed how customers can be treated differently depending on their appearance or clothing.

One user recounted what they described as a deliberate attempt by a friend to test the behaviour of staff at high-end stores in DLF Emporio and Ambience Mall.

The user wrote: “In a live experiment, to prove a point to me, A friend of mine, a print model and an actor, went to a perfume outlet in Emporio mall in Vasant Kunj in an oversized salwar kurta. The staff looked down upon her and didn’t even let her sample the perfumes.”

The post continued with another visit to a watch store: “Same day she visited RADO in Ambience Mall Gurgaon asking about a particular watch for her dad. They said it’s not available.” According to the user, the same person returned the following day dressed in luxury labels. “The next day she wore a Gucci dress with Bling Michael Kors glasses and fiery red Jimmy Choo’s & a LV handbag to both the outlets.”

The outcome, they claimed, was noticeably different: “At Emporio, the perfume shop staff gifted her a sample bottle and at RADO the same watch became available and was shown.” The user concluded: “This is what Delhi is, she said.”

A separate response described an incident involving the same Dior boutique mentioned in Sanghvi’s post.

The user wrote: “I once went to the exact same @Dior store in Vasant Kunj. In a saree. The guard at the door didn’t let me in.” According to the post, the situation changed only after a staff member intervened. “An attendant finally stepped out, spoke to me and let me in. Said the guard got confused coz I was in a saree.”

The person added that an explanation was later given regarding store entry management. “Then someone inside said they were controlling pax inside. But the only one inside was my friend.” The user concluded the post by writing: “So much for service.”

Other comments focused on the conduct of staff in luxury retail environments more broadly.

One user wrote: “Agree absolutely. Two modes. Rude, arrogant & obnoxious or extremely over familiar. Have zero idea about the products & act like Hyacinth Bucket of keeping up appearances.”

Another user criticised behaviour at another luxury shopping location in Delhi. “The ones in DLF Emporio are worse. The Salesperson in LV store has more arrogance than Bernard Arnault himself.”

They also questioned why retail employees would behave discourteously towards customers. “I don't get how working for a foreign brand makes an Indian rude towards the person who is paying lakhs to buy the brand. Are they taught to be rude or its natural.”