Vir Sanghvi Calls Out 'Snobbish' Staff At Delhi Vasant Kunj Mall, Sparks Debate Online

Luxury stores, with their high-end bags, shoes, and other products, are almost irresistible to check out, especially if you are roaming through an airport or strolling around a mall. Whether you are shopping at Promenade Mall in Vasant Kunj in New Delhi or Ambience Mall in Gurugram, these malls are brimming with luxury stores.

Whether or not you can afford one item or another at these stores is a different question, but it does not hurt anyone to check out the product range. What does hurt, however, is rude behaviour from the staff. In a recent post on X, Vir Sanghvi, an Indian journalist and author, called out the snobbish treatment he received at one of the most popular luxury stores.

Sharing his experience, he wrote, "Always shocked by how snobbish salespeople at so-called designer stores in Delhi malls are. At Dior at Promenade, Vasant Kunj, the salesman was obnoxious and rude. At nearby Scientido India, they were aggressive and patronising."

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

"What makes Indians who work for foreign brands feel so superior to ordinary people? It disgraces the brands themselves and suggests that this is how they feel about Indians."

Vir Sanghvi's Post Sparks Online Debate

Replying to Vir Sanghvi's post, Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of Chintan India, wrote that she had the same experience at the same Dior store in New Delhi. She was wearing a saree and claimed, "The guard at the door didn't let me in."

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. An attendant finally stepped out, spoke to me and let me in. Said the guard got confused coz I was in a saree.

Then someone inside sd they were controlling pax inside.… https://t.co/qUorb8eiwN

— Bharati Chaturvedi (@Bharati09) March 11, 2026

"An attendant finally stepped out, spoke to me, and let me in. Said the guard got confused coz I was in a saree. Then someone inside said they were controlling pax inside. But the only one inside was my friend. So much for service," she added.

A social media user commented on Vir Sanghvi's post, "But the irony is this: the truly wealthy rarely dress loudly or try to prove anything. Many luxury brands globally train staff to treat everyone with respect because the person in simple clothes might be the biggest buyer."

But the irony is this: the truly wealthy rarely dress loudly or try to prove anything. Many luxury brands globally train staff to treat everyone with respect because the person in simple clothes might be the biggest buyer.

In India we still carry a colonial hangover; working for…

— Nitin Sinha (@NsNitinsinha) March 11, 2026

"In India, we still carry a colonial hangover; working for a foreign luxury brand creates a false sense of superiority. It's not confidence, it's insecurity disguised as attitude," he added.

Another person said that "snobbish" treatment at luxury stores has nothing to do with Indians. "I visit all of these stores and buy from them. Based on how you are dressed, the staff makes a guess on how much you are gonna spend and acts accordingly," he said, adding that he had seen this in London, Milan, Lisbon, Rome, Paris, and other global cities.

This is nothing to do with Indians. I visit all of these stores and buy from them. Based on how you are dressed, the staff makes a guess on how much you are gonna spend and acts accordingly. I have seen it :
London
Milan
Rome
Franfurt
Lisbon
Paris
SF Bay Area (my home)
.... and a…

— Chinmay A. Singh (@chinmay) March 11, 2026

Another user noted, "There's a strategy to make people with low self-esteem pay high prices to buy a product they don't really need except to prove to themselves and similar folks that they have arrived."

There's a strategy to make people with low self-esteem pay high prices to buy a product they don't really need except to prove to themselves and similar folks that they have arrived 😔

— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) March 11, 2026

One more user shared that they had a similar experience in Delhi last year. "But then I went to Iconsiam in Bangkok. We were enjoying Songkran and entered without any issues. We went straight to a luxury store there; the staff was so welcoming, and I purchased a few things. In contrast, the staff in Delhi and Mumbai acts so rudely and arrogantly."

I experienced the same thing last year in Delhi, but then I went to Iconsiam in Bangkok. We were enjoying Songkran and entered without any issues. We went straight to a luxury store there; the staff were so welcoming, and I purchased a few things. In contrast, the staff in Delhi…

— Dewy.dee (@deebayleaf) March 11, 2026

A user agreed with Vir Sanghvi but added that if a person wants to witness "more arrogant behaviour", they must visit Hermes at Chanakaya and Gucci, Versace, and Armani at Emporio. He said that the moment you walk into the store, the staff stare at you from head to toe. He also compared this with his experience in Hong Kong, where he walked into a Ralph Lauren store and was greeted with a smile by the staff.

Yeah True that , but for more arrogant behaviour visit Hermes at Chanakaya , Gucci , Versace , Armani at Emporio , the moment u enter the stare u from top to bottom, They think they are heir to Armani & Gucci , Whereas In Hongkong I just casually walked into Ralph Loren store at…

— Rahul Cere (@CereRahul) March 11, 2026

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