Texas Shoppers Should Leave & Call 911 If You Hear ‘Code Brown’ While Shopping

Get our free mobile app

The last thing a retail manager wants to do is to create chaos and panic within the store, but there is one phrase that many retailers use that you should be aware of.

Making the weekly run to the grocery store in Dallas, Texas, or to one of the big box retailers in Houston, Texas is considered a chore for some people, but while you're in the store getting those essentials or just browsing around and taking your time you could hear any number of different messages from the store's intercom system that could have an impact on your life.

Many people might tune those announcements out because they may seem annoying, like hearing a cashier say 'Manager on duty call 372, manager on duty call 372' or 'I need Christmas tree box C, like in Christmas cookies brought to register 4 please'. Those announcements can be annoying to customers, but there are certain messages and phrases that employees are keenly listening for and you should be too.

For years now retailers, like Walmart, have adopted and used the phrase 'Code Adam' in their stores to signify that there is a missing child in their store. There is also another list of phrases filled with color that retailers use to communicate with their employees that there is an issue happening in the store without alerting customers to what's happening.

When employees hear these codes they can take appropriate action, whether it's alerting them of some kind of spill, a shoplifting incident, a fire, or a more serious event like an active shooter or hostage situation happening in the store.

Knowing a little bit about these codes and what they mean could help save your life too.