‘This is about basic civic sense’: Customer calls out family playing cricket inside Decathlon

A customer’s post about a Decathlon store visit has gone viral for highlighting an unusual in-store situation.

A casual visit to a Decathlon store has ended up being discussed online after a customer shared an incident involving cricket being played inside the outlet. In an X post, he shared that a man was playing cricket with his kids inside the store, which, according to him, led to other customers being inconvenienced during their shopping experience.

A man was seen playing cricket inside a Decathlon store. (Representational Image)

The post was shared by user @imYadav31. In his caption, he said he was at the store checking cricket gear when he saw a man playing cricket inside the outlet with his children. He wrote that “the children had bats in their hands, and he was bowling from the other side, right in the cricket section,” and added that things escalated when “instead of stopping, the man actually asked me to move aside because they wanted to continue playing.”

He also mentioned that staff had already intervened earlier, quoting them as saying, “Sir, aapko do baar mana kar diya hai, idhar mat kheliye, aap kyun khel rahe hain?” The user said the incident reflected a larger issue of basic civic sense and respect for shared public spaces.

Take a look:

Customer asked me to move aside

In the caption, the user described how the situation made him uncomfortable as a customer. He said he was asked to shift aside so the group could continue playing, and added that the activity was happening even after repeated warnings from store staff. According to him, a retail store is meant for shopping and product testing within limits, not extended play sessions that disrupt other customers.

Internet reacts

One person shared, “There is a fine line between. Trials. Use . Misuse. Exploit. Decathlon encourages Trials , we have expanded it. I too faced similar experiences Decathlon.”

Another pointed out how everyday behaviour shapes attitudes, writing, “This is a tiring subject man! Similar thing you see with parents driving and taking kids to school in wrong route! What would you expect child to learn.”

One user commented on shared spaces, saying, “When you're in a shared space, it is important to be considerate. This man has asked other customers to move because he needs to play. He shouldn't be a cheapo. He could buy the equipment and play at his home with his kids.”

Another reaction suggested it is not a one-off case, writing, “Oh. So this is across the stores. Faced same problem. Grown ups playing cricket and smashing balls everywhere. But the staff couldn't do anything as they were local landed gentry.”

The incident has brought back focus on how far product trials should go inside retail spaces, and where the line between testing and misuse should be drawn.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)