I worked at Walmart – the secret meaning of the intercom announcements & code black is the worst
WHEN you shop at Walmart, listen closely to the droning announcements that come over the in-store intercom.
One ex-employee revealed the secret meanings behind the in-store messages, including one terrifying phrase that might send you running from the store.
In a Reddit thread, an ex-Walmart employee opened up about their experiences , with many other previous workers jumping in to commiserate.
One former worker said that Walmart employees have a secret weapon on hand to protect themselves and customers during in-store emergencies.
"On the back of every yellow badge that goes behind your nametag are codes for Walmart in emergency situations," the ex-employee claimed.
Some codes are used commonly by other retailers – Code Adam, for example, is the way many stores signal that a child is missing or separated from their parents.
If you hear that phrase over the intercom, it means the store will be locked down while designated employees search.
Along with Code Adam, which was originated by Walmart and adopted by retailers nationwide, there are other codes unique to the brand, the ex-employee claimed.
"They will announce it over the intercoms," an ex-employee explained. "There are six or eight of them."
They went on to say that at their former store, a Code Red was meant to warn employees of a fire, while a Code Black was a bomb threat.
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Luckily, the terrifying scenarios are pretty rare. "We had a Code Black just once when I worked there," the former employee said.
A different person weighed in and said at their store, Code Black was used to warn about weather emergencies, but Code Red was still used to indicate a fire on the premesis.
Meanwhile, a bomb or bomb threat was signaled with Code Blue.
The commenter added that Code White was used for an in-store accident and Code Orange for a chemical spill that could turn dangerous.
Finally, Code Green could indicate a hostage situation, and Code Brown was used to warn about a shooting, the ex-employee said.
What does it mean if you hear a different message over the speakers?
If you hear a number being called over the intercom, an employee may be trying to reach a specific department, one employee explained.
There are "around a hundred or so" numeric codes that all associates know, they added.
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Usually, those numbers are used to phone across the store, but in some cases a number may need to be paged.
During the busy holiday season, you may also hear messaging around overtime and store hours over the intercom – but that's typically loud and clear, with no secret messages to decode.