B&Q readies staff for rope, duct tape surge

LONDON — The upcoming release of the movie, “50 Shades of Grey,” has prompted UK home improvement retailer B&Q to prepare its employees for a possible rise in rope and duct tape sales. The erotic movie, due to open on Valentine’s Day, features a scene of a couple purchasing products from a hardware store that can be used for bondage-related activities. A memo to B&Q’s 359 stores called “Staff Briefing – Preparation for Fifty Shades of Grey Customer Queries,” urges staff to be polite if customers ask for products to help them recreate activities depicted in the film. The memo notes that products are recommended “for their designed purposes.” Staff are further advised to deal with film-related queries in a “polite, helpful and respectful manner.”