What Does The 'Bananas 4011' Meme Mean? The Viral 'Produce Code' Every Grocer Knows Explained

A meme went viral on Facebook this past week that shows a bunch of bananas equalling the number 4011. Many were unaware of the association while others were way too familiar.

The "Banana 4011" meme is one of the first-ever to be made by grocery store clerks for grocery store clerks. So, if you've never worked at Walmart or Kroger, let's explain.

What Does The 'Banana 4011' Meme Mean?

The meme in question shows a bunch of bananas with a top caption reading, "Nobody:" and a bottom caption reading, "Me: 4011." The simple meme is in reference to the produce code, known as a price look-up code (or PLU), that grocery store workers use to identify bananas in the computer system.

"4011" seems to be the standard code for bananas nationwide. In turn, many who've worked at a grocery store know the numbers by heart, mostly because bananas are a highly common piece of produce for the average American consumer.

The phenomenon has been talked about online before, such as on TikTok, among other websites.

@managermethod Replying to @cynthiaragus #groceryshopping #grocerystore #customersmostloved #customer #checkout #4011 #banana ♬ original sound – Manager Method

Where Did The Original 'Banana 4011' Meme Come From?

Currently, the earliest discovered posting of the meme was on the /r/Walmart subreddit by a Redditor named DougMcMillan. The post was shared roughly two months ago, on July 7th, and gained over 320 upvotes in two months.

In the past week, the meme's gone viral again, specifically on Facebook, when the page Bunny Brigade Inc. shared it on September 11th. They captioned the post IYKYK, a slang acronym for "If you know, you know."