A Bengaluru mall is receiving criticism for enforcing a policy that requires a ₹1,000 shopping bill to access a “VIP” restroom. Reddit user DeskKey9633 shared their experience, revealing they were denied entry to the ground-floor restroom at Phoenix Marketcity in Whitefield over the weekend due to not meeting the spending requirement.
“I traveled all the way from Church Street to shop, but before I could start, I needed to use the restroom,” the Redditor explained. To their surprise, the ground-floor restroom was reserved for “VIPs” with a minimum purchase of ₹1,000, enforced by a security guard. The user expressed confusion and frustration, questioning why a restroom should require a shopping bill for access.
The situation worsened when the user was directed to other restrooms in the mall, which were found to be in a poor state. “These toilets were badly maintained, with broken flushes and unclean conditions,” they recounted.
Expressing concern, they stated that such policies unfairly divide customers and fail to maintain basic services. “In an urgent situation, being forced to hunt for a usable bathroom is overwhelming,” the post continued, noting that this trend is troubling and unique to Phoenix Whitefield.
Other Reddit users chimed in, sharing similar experiences and questioning the mall’s restroom policies. One user highlighted how they previously had to pay a small “donation” to use the restroom, which has since been replaced by this stricter rule.
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