Primark store secrets exposed – 'Mr Brown' code word, discount tricks and bell signal – The Mirror
A former Primark employee has shared staff secrets from the popular high street chain – including what the coded messages you hear in store may actually mean and how to get a discount
An ex-Primark worker has revealed what she learned behind the scenes during her time at hugely popular fashion store – and it's rather telling.
If you love all things Primark, a series of videos uploaded to TikTok revealed everything you've ever wanted to know about the store – including a weird tissue paper rule.
From coded staff announcements to getting savvy reductions on faulty or end of line items, the ex-employee racked up thousands of views letting customers in on a few little-known tips. Here's what to look out for, and listen out for, next time you pop in. You can thank us later.
If you ever heard a member of staff make an announcement to say: "Can Mr Brown come to the checkout", it's likely someone in the store had landed themselves in trouble.
The Primark worker claimed the guards who stood at the door in 2020 when she posted her videos to ensure no one was stealing were from Brown's Security Company, and that's who the message was for – staff just didn't want to alert customers that security was on the way.
She said employees would always remove the tissue paper inside bags and purses at the till to ensure you weren't hiding anything else inside.
Even if there were other items found within, the worker said staff weren't allowed to accuse customers of purposely putting them there.
"We just have to simply say 'would you like that as well?'," she said. "I can tell you ten out of ten times, the answer is 'no thanks'."
There's no secrets that could magically bag you a discount, but she revealed if there was only one item left and it was slightly faulty, you could knock 10 per cent off the price.
If clothing was slightly dirty and there were no more in your size, the former employee recommended taking it to the till if you were still happy to buy it and asking for a reduction, as reported by Metro.
If you heard staff ringing a bell in the store, it was advisable to keep an ear out for how many times it went off.
She explained: "Two rings of the call bell, we want a supervisor or a manager's help. If you hear three rings of a call bell it means there’s an emergency."
Least glamorous of all, the worker said the announcement of a 'code two' over the store tannoy was very bad news for the cleaners.
"It just so happens that some customers like to use the floor as a toilet. A code two coming across the tannoy for the cleaners means they’re just being made aware they’re going to be cleaning up some bodily fluid."
Primark declined to comment at the time.
Have you ever heard any of these announcements in Primark? Let us know in the comments below.
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