What The Color Coded Tape Means On Store Columns

  quirky telecom

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Many stores like Walmart and Sam's Club, especially the older ones, color-code their poles. Have you ever noticed colored pieces of tape at the top of some of these poles? Yes, they actually mean something!

• Blue — Blue tape at the top of the pole indicates that there is a telephone at the bottom of the pole.
• Yellow — Yellow indicates a spill clean-up station is located at the bottom of the pole.
• Red — Red indicates that a fire extinguisher is located at the bottom of the pole. Hopefully, you'll never need to look for this one.

Some poles may have more than one piece of tape. For example, a pole may claim a blue piece of tape and a yellow piece of tape. That means both a telephone and a spill clean-up station are located at the bottom of the pole. From what I've seen, some poles may have just one piece of tape, while others may have two or even all three. Blue tape is less common than yellow or red tape, so if you need to make a prank telephone call, your choices are more limited. But if the guy next to you starts having a heart attack at the store, make sure you check the ceiling for some blue tape so you can call 911 (some yellow tape wouldn't hurt either).