What To Do If You Ever Hear A 'Code Green' At Walmart

While emergency "codes" may be best known from TV medical dramas, hospitals are not the only place they're used. In fact, grocery stores also use a code system to communicate with employees regardless of their location in the building. Walmart in particular has a code system using colors, numbers, letters, and phrases.

According to Common Cents Mom, Walmart uses seven different color codes, ranging in purpose from spills, to hazardous weather, to threats to employee and customer safety. For instance, "code red" signals that there is a fire in the store, while "code brown" refers to an active shooter. A "code green," on the other hand, means that there is a hostage situation in progress.

So what are you supposed to do if you hear one of these codes the next time you're shopping at your local Walmart? More specifically, what should you do as a customer if you hear a "code green" during your shopping trip? 

If you're ever shopping at Walmart during a "code green," or any color code for that matter, look to employees for instructions. Just as you should if you hear a "code red" at Walmart, make your way calmly to an exit and listen to employees if they give you further directions. Though your automatic response may be to panic, Popular Ask advises against running or shouting, as it could alarm other customers and cause the situation to escalate.

Unfortunately, these codes seem to be a point of contention for some customers. Some Reddit users, for example, reason that it would make more sense to just announce a situation like a fire over the intercom, rather than waste time with a code. However, as another Redditor pointed out, announcing a dangerous situation can cause widespread panic, so it's potentially safer for everyone if the store uses codes for employees to respond to accordingly. "Nothing to worry about, just a hostage situation, continue on," quipped one commenter about the "code green."