Coded PA Announcements

[cdd]

I have been rather interested in the "coded" PA announcements you sometimes hear. You hear them a lot at supermarkets (I heard one recently at Waitrose that said no more than "Staff announcement, Code 14"). The is also a "Mr Sands" who reguarly gets asked to contact the control desk at Kings Cross station, which is highly suspicious as these anouncements are always made in a prerecorded voice!

I was wondering if any of you knew of any of these coded messages and what they meant!

[TG]

If you're ever in a branch of Tesco, and they call for Mr Black, watch all the managers come running - it usually means "everyone, get the hell down to the front of store NOW, we need backup" - be it violent customers, thieves, whatever...

[marksi]

Inspector Sands is a fire/security alert annoucement on the tube.

[rts]

"Sparrow in the kitchen" often means bomb.

[Hodge]

Bravo Bravo Bravo means some kind of crew emergency on P&O crusie ships i think

[Chris]

I'm told that Sainsbury's and possibly Homebase, code 100 is a shoplifter.

[Lorns]

And when the smoke alarm goes off in my house, it means that dinner is ready.

[Gareth]

I once worked for a company where you'd get the announcement every day at 10am "Telephone call for Mrs Capri, Mrs Capri telephone call please" which was the signal that the "butty lady" had arrived (the MD didn't think it was appropriate for those words to be issued over the PA). It was also the que for the smokers to go outside and do their deed.

Very confusing in your first week with that happenning!

[Alarsne53]

I'm told that Sainsbury's and possibly Homebase, code 100 is a shoplifter.

Homebase will be a Service 100 rather than code.

[Charlie Wells]

If I recall in our local Somerfields the announcement for trouble was 'Service 10', though as some regulars got wise to it they sometimes use 'to the cash office'.

I've heard "Mr Jet" for fire and "Friend of Mr Jet" for bomb/suspicious package in at least one theatre.

[Alexia]

Sainsbury's: "Code One" - all till trained staff who have a colleague working with them on their particular department / line must report to checkouts immediately.

"Code Two" - bugger the customers, everyone leave their department (except leaving one on each counter - bakery, food to go, deli and fish) and get on checkouts or bag packing now.