What Hearing Code Yellow At Target Really Means

If you've ever shopped at Target, you've probably heard the employees make announcements over the PA system every once in a while. Although most of the announcements seem pretty self-explanatory, such as when an employee calls for a price check in the store's produce department or asks for assistance, there are others that are meant to be understood only by the employees. So if you've ever heard a Target employee announce a color code, as in "code yellow" or "code green," you might be wondering what it means. 

These announcements are generally coded because they are used to alert employees to an emergency or potential problem that they might not want the general public to be aware of to avoid panic and to protect the privacy of certain individuals. However, one curious Target shopper recently took to Reddit to discover what these colored codes really mean. Fortunately, for us, Redditors had the answer. 

Target employees were happy to clear up the mystery on the Reddit thread. Reddit user u/MNGSTL replied to the post detailing a list of Target codes and what they mean, posting that an announcement of "code yellow" means there is a "missing/endangered child or vulnerable adult (elderly or person with a disability)" in the store. Other commonly used codes include "code green," which means a customer or team member is having a medical emergency and needs assistance, and a "code red" announcement means there is a fire. Other current and former employees confirmed the code meanings, with u/heroicstrangers joking, "We also have Code Brown, its [sic] exactly what you think it is."

So the next time you are shopping in Target, you'll know what to keep an eye out for if you hear one of these codes. And if you happen to hear a "code yellow" announced, you should keep an eye out for a child or elderly person who may need assistance. You could be helping a missing or vulnerable individual who needs to be reunited with their parent, guardian, or family members.