Retail Workers Share Secret Codes

Redditor /u/amzettyReported "Roger" signals a shoplifter at the unnamed store where they work.

"Anytime we suspect a shoplifter, someone calls 'Roger, you're needed in (insert department)' over the PA, and bored staff show up. It is subtle. Roger is our store's pet turtle."

The code for a missing child is "Code Adam," though Target uses "Code Yellow" instead. The system got its name from Adam Walsh, the son of America's Most WantedHost John Walsh. Ottis Tooleallegedly kidnapped 6-year-old Adamfrom a Sears department store in 1981 and later murdered him. This action made John start his series hunting criminals.

The code arose from a terrible event. That incident also led authorities to create anational systemto track and detail sex offenders in the United States.

Redditor /u/PrincessMadsPosted a Walmart employee badge. "Code Red" signals a fire on the premises. ATarget employee message boardconfirmed their stores use the same code.

These codes tell staff the police are coming and warn employees to leave.

At Walmart, "Code Brown" meansa shooting in the store. Other places use this code fora general threat; it is not just a shooting.

Unlike the seriousness of "Code Adam" or "Code Yellow," a "Code 99" at an IKEA store means a child was found alone or hiding.Mental FlossInterviewed two IKEA staff, Jana and Marie.

Regarding "Code 99," Marie said, "There are many wardrobes to hide in or bed skirts to hide under. If a kid wanted to hide, it would not be hard."

Loss prevention is vital in any department store. The industry could save up to$27 billionin revenue annually if all stores had a loss prevention team.

Redditor /u/blakemakerevealed a code his former store used to signal loss prevention.

"I worked at Nordstrom. When they needed LP, they would page Bruce Wayne. But shoplifters got used to that (I know). They started paging Barry Allen."

Redditor /u/Johnner_deezeExplained the Best Buy store he worked at had a code for being busy and understaffed.

"When I worked at Best Buy, we were short staff. We made up a fake employee. When he was paged, everyone knew we needed all hands on deck. 'Lance Contusion to media answer center north.' Looking back, this was not needed."

According to Redditor /u/Th3Beard3dOn3, one family business made a code for customers with bad toupees:

Grew up in a family business. My mom and the manager had a code for men with toupees. "Oh, did you hear Freddy got a puppy?"

"What kind?" The bigger and uglier the dog, the worse the toupee was.

"Oh, it was a schnauzer, pug, pitbull, [and] poodle mix." This would go on 'til one of them was reduced to tears. People announced this over the intercom; they were always close enough to hear it.

Redditor /u/NoOneKnowsMe57, a cashier at an unnamed store, made a code to ask the grocery bagger to check if customers left items in the bottom of their cart:

I worked as a cashier at a grocery store. We trained staff to always look for BOB (Bottom of Basket) with every customer at the register. If I missed BOB, I asked the bagger if they saw him. The talk went like this:

I asked, "Have you seen BOB today?"

Bagger (looking at the cart): Yeah, he's here.

Me: Okay, thanks. I thought I might have missed him.

According toemelenjron MetaFilter, a call for "Russ" served as a secret message to security:

I worked at a Tower Records store in Annapolis, MD, one summer. The security call there always used Russ. I would say, 'Russ, pick up,' meaning grab the nearest phone. 'Russ to classical,' etc. Plainclothes officers worked in the store all the time because of constant shoplifting.

I paged Russ after seeing a large man in a winter coat. The coat looked out of place in August. He held a stack of about ten CDs in his hand and put them under his arm. They disappeared because of the padding in the coat and the size of his arm.

At IKEA stores, a "Code 22" alert on the intercom signals checkout lines face a major rush. An interview with Mental Floss, one IKEA employee named Jana explained: "We usually hear it during rush hour or weekends. It means the cash lanes back up into the warehouse. Anyone who handles registers must go to the front to help."

At Walmart, a "Code Blue" signals a suspected bomb in the building. Redditor /u/PrincessMadsrevealed this using a photo of a Walmart badge showing their whole code system. It also mentions "Code Green" for a hostage situation, "Code Black" for bad weather, and "Code Orange" for a chemical spill.