A letter to St James Power Station

[thoth51]

(Saint James Power Station is a sort of multiplex night club in Singapore, with different themed outlets under one roof. It really DID use to be a power station, hence the name.)

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Hi,

I was at Movida in the early hours of 24th January 2009 to meet some friends. Dressed in a dark long sleeved shirt, a black kilt, knee-high socks and leather shoes, I was sure that I met the minimum dress code. Imagine my surprise when an employee at the door told me that club policy only allows people from the 'country of origin' to wear the kilt. Naturally I protested, and he referred me to the manager. The lady manager asked me a series of questions: was I from Scotland, was there a special occasion, etc, to all of which I answered 'No.' I see no relevance what any of that had to do with my choice of attire. She seemed a bit baffled, but relented and admitted me to the club.

I must say first off, that the staff members were courteous and professional in their conduct. This letter is not about them. It is about the alleged 'club policy'. Is it true that St James Power Station has such a policy on guests wearing kilts? If so, I am afraid you have set your employees up for an onerous and thankless job. Let me elaborate: How will the door staff determine who is entitled to wear the kilt? Will kilted guests have to produce ID proving Scottish residency? What of people of Scottish descent born in other countries? A genealogical record might be in order.

St James Power Station is of course within its rights to enforce any rule it deems proper. All I ask is a clarification of this policy. I would hate to have to go through an 'entrance exam' every time I turn up in a kilt. Until then, perhaps I'll just stick to T-shirts and jeans when I visit your establishment.

Yours
Cheng Chee Hoew

[CDNSushi]

Wow! That's crazy. But hey, at least they let you in after all that... Even though you had to complain to management and even they gave you a hard time over it.

They need to put up a sign a like this:

[The Barry]

They need to put up a sign a like this:

That sign is hilarious!

I want one.

[Bugbear]

Sorry to hear about that.

[Pleater]

Maybe if you claim that the purpose of your visit is to drink Scotch and so you donned the correct attire for maximum enjoyment of the experience, they might suspect that you are a dedecated drinker of high value and lay on the hospitality....

Or there again they might have experienced men in kilts imbibing Scotch, and wish to put up barriers against a repeat performance.

Anne the Pleater

[Dirk Skene]

Thoth51, That has got to be a bunch of crap. Sounds like you ran into a jerk. Just tell the that your mom was a MacIntosch

BTW is the "Penny Black" still in operation on Boat Quay? I invented a drink there.

[McFarkus]

Bizarre!

[Arlen]

Wow. That's a sad story. I'm glad you got in eventually but hopefully the letter will helo them rethink their policies.

[Tim B]

Sushi's sign cracks me up! Mods, you might want to delete it before some rediculous business sees it and takes him seriously

Glad you persisted, C.H...and did so with the dignity deserving of an X-Marker. Well done!

[thoth51]

I can see it now, bouncers with cotton swabs. Open wide...

Ehhh, no big loss to me really since I hardly go clubbing any more. Only reason I went was to go to my friend's party. This is the same club that made the news when they denied free drink coupons to a 50-year old woman on Ladies' night at one of their more... youth-oriented outlets. Apparently Ladies' Night privileges there only apply to women under the age of 35! Understandably this raised a big stink when it hit the papers, but the management was unrepentant about maintaining their 'target market'.

If a whole bunch of peed-off over-35 women could not make St James mend their ways, I doubt there's much one slightly annoyed kiltie can do.

Lets just wait and see if they give me a reply.