If You Hear “Code Brown” at a Massachusetts Walmart, Leave Immediately

Massachusetts is a great place to live. Residents and visitors have their choice of city or county life, plenty of restaurants, and of course plenty of shopping.

Massachusetts is home to many independent retailers, from book stores to sports equipment and gift shops. While small and family-owned businesses are a vital part of the state's economy, big box stores have their place in Massachusetts as well.

There is perhaps no more prolific big box chain in the country than Walmart. Walmart has over 48 locations throughout Massachusetts and those stores employ over 14,000 people in the state. Last year, those 48 stores produced $56.6 million paid to Massachusetts. Massachusetts Walmarts also donated over $2.6 million to the state, between stores, clubs, and the Walmart foundation, according to its corporate offices.

Millions of Massachusetts shoppers take advantage of the affordable prices the chain offers both in person and online. Last year, 255 million people shopped in stores worldwide. While that brings in a tremendous amount of revenue for the mega-corporation, it also brings a tremendous amount of responsibility to keep customers and staff safe in their stores.

Here's What Code Brown and Other Secret Codes Mean in Massachusetts Walmarts

According to a former employee, there are numerous safety codes used to alert staff to emergency store-wide situations. There are eight codes in total.

• Code Brown: Is an alert for an active shooter or other violent incident in the store.
• Code Adam: Is an alert referring to a lost child in the store
• Code White: Is an alert for a customer injury
• Code Green: Is a code for a hostage situation in the store
• Code Blue: Is a code referring to a bomb threat.
• Code Red: Indicates the possibility of a fire in the store.
• Code Orange: Is a code that indicates a chemical hazard
• Code Black: Is used to indicate a severe weather situation

What would you do if you heard one of these codes while shopping in a Massachusetts Walmart?