I just saw that our menage a trois night was advertised as free beer for foreigners, well with that attitude i wont go back . Im sorry to anyone that read that advert on gokunming it was nothing to do with me (DJ DSK), i do not support free beer for foreigners especially as we are in China . I wont go back until you reverse the stupid free beer thing and make it free for anyone regardless of race.

So if i took my wife that night she has to pay for beers and i can drink free, WTF is that.

IT WAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MENAGE A TROIS OR DJ DSK!!!!!

The policy at Cargo is not "free beer for foreigners" as was mistakenly advertised for last Friday's party. Anyone regardless of nationality can receive complimentary drinks at the club. I'm sorry if the perception was that the bar operated an overtly foreigner-biased promotion - that is not the case.

The promotion currently running at Cargo is that anyone can ring up Alyssa and reserve a table for a given night of the week. Every night we can provide drinks for 4-6 tables of people. The promotional drinks on offer are Captain Morgan Rum, Stolichnaya Vodka, Gordons Gin, Bud Ice and Carlsberg Chill. All we ask is that people turn up around 10.30pm.

Nick, of course we're not going to discriminate against your wife or any other local people who want to take up the offer. The party planning was rushed and the wrong message came across. I'm sorry for that.

I would like to add too that even on the night of the menage a trois party, the free drinks were not handed out only to foreigners. The emphasis was on the front dance floor and table area, anyone who was sitting there got free beer.
However, I apologize again for the misunderstanding.

and just curious...do ladies nite offers count as discrimination?

"ladies night" is ALSO discrimination. We have gotten were people are sensitive and everyone wants to be politically correct. When bars or clubs have a "ladies night free drinks" us men know it's to attract the ladies to come. If you have a club or a bar full of men it's pretty boring in my opinion (especially if your single man). The same if you have a "free beer for foreigners". The goal is to attract foreigners to that place since there are no too many foreigners as oppose to chinese. I do like the fact that you (Piers and Alyssa) are very understanding and diplomatic about the whole situation. That said, I understood the reasoning for the "free beer for foreigners" advertising. Good Luck in your promotion.

It's not being PC or not PC. I know that the organizers of Cargo club are going to offer the free beer to everyone and that it's a business strategy, but think about it...

Would something like that fly in the US? You can tell foreigners apart pretty easily in China so advertising free beer for foreigners is basically being anti-Chinese. When foreigners get special preferences or deals or promotions, it really drives me crazy. Chinese people should be your market, so why have them pay when foreigners one table away are chugging a free bottle of liquor? That's why I don't go to Yunjoy Coffee, which has been extremely racist in the past.

Kudos to Alyssa for helping in this club promotion, though... Please don't take this as a criticism of you, I'm just jumping in on the discussion :)

Don't get your panties in a bunch because of a simple promotional offer. If the place wants to attract more foreigners there is usually a good reason for it and the bar/club is expecting to get the money back somehow eventually. If I were to scream and shout everytime I buy something that I know a Chinese guy is able to get cheaper I wouldn't have time to do anything else. All this PC crap is ridiculous,, maybe next time I'll demand the right to use the ladies restroom in the holy name of equal rights.

who knew this promotion would set off such a heated debate, that it would bring up so many heavy controversial issues?? Its great though! This is some good discussion....

As i was writing this event up it couldn't escape me that there is something glaringly questionable about so directly stating that this offer was directed at foreigners. i had to brush it aside, though, because this was what the owner (who is chinese) had wanted, and because after an internal debate i mentally justified it to myself.

i decided that these types of inequities generally tend to balance themselves out in the end.....i get ripped off when i buy stuff at the market, i get taxi drivers who attempt to take me on the 'scenic route' to my destination, and i have to deal with people staring, pointing, shouting hello or sneakily try to take my picture on a daily basis. but in return, as a matter of 'face' my chinese friends refuse to ever let me pay for dinner, and when i go into bars, random strangers invite me over to have a few drinks with them...solely because i am a foreigner. but my experience at bars has been great fun because of this! i've met some fun people this way, and made new friends.

i know its unfair that a group of chinese people (generally a mix of guys and girls) treat me to drinks simply because i am white, but it doesn't really matter because we all enjoy it. they have a good time chatting with the mysterious foreigner, i have fun meeting new people and practicing my chinese.

we weren't trying to be anti-chinese with this at all, we are just aware that foreigners genereally do not spend any money in kundu anyway, and this seemed like the most direct way to get kunming's expats to come check out a new place. ultimately, we want to get people's input about the place, find out what people like and dislike.
the place has only been open for a two months, and we want to try to do some new things with the place. for example, we are lining up a few foreign singers and performers to come put on shows, as well as getting some of our friends who spin things besides just techno to come dj.

if anyone has any suggestions, we want to hear them!

Alyssa-

were you happy when you got ripped off coz you were a foreigner? I guess not. Then there's no surprise Chinese would feel offended when they saw the ad. when we are wronged by others, should our first reaction be not doing the same to others, or doing exactly the same (or even worse) to get back at them? Not all people have the same answer to it.

Again, the short-visioned chinese owner is ought to take the blame of putting out the not-so-smart mgs out there; and we might also want reflect on why we ourselves (who disagreed unconsciously) carried it out anyway.

There's no comparison between Lady's nite and Foreigners' privilege here. I dont need to explain it no more, if anyone still remembers "Chinese and dogs are not allowed to enter (the bar)" in modern Chinese history. Sometimes our problem is we completely ignore the cultures, assume everything orbits around our own world, and feel innocent when things go wrong.

Is this an example of an old marketing adage, "Any publicity is good publicity."

Any idea how this affects image of "foreigners" ??

Lulu, if YOU don't like it, DON'T GO!!!! It's as simple as that. You are NOT going to change the world. If you have a lot of money you get the V.I.P. treament in banks,hotels,clubs etc.. It is what it is. Lady's nite IS the same. It's to get the ladies to come in. Foreigner's Nite IS the same. It's a promotion to get a certain group of people to the place, in this case a club/bar. As DANMAIREN said "Don't get your panties in a bunch because of a simple promotional offer."
Jesuschrist!!!!