Considering a Commercial Grade Safe?
Common Questions About Commercial/Business Safes
Why do I need a retail safe?
Commercial-grade or Business Safes protect important documents, cash, firearms, and more. Each safe configuration is constructed for a specific purpose, from enabling employees to make secure deposits to shielding the safe – and the valuables within – from high temperatures. Commercial cash safes are crucial if you have important items that need protection, especially when unforeseen circumstances such as fire or theft occur. This equipment helps keep items inaccessible from those who shouldn't be handling them. Designed with strength and space efficiency in mind, commercial safes are great for retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and more.
What are my commercial-grade safe options?
There are four main forms of retail safe: drop slot, fireproof, firearm, and wall. The wall category, however, includes three subcategories. We'll go over them below.
Drop slot safes function like freestanding mailboxes. Employees insert the deposit into a drawer on the front of the safe and then let it close. Access to prior deposits is blocked during this drop, helping prevent theft.
Fireproof safes each come with their own fire rating. This denotes the length of time the safe can secure the contents within it while bearing the high temperatures of a fire, and most ratings range from 1 to 2 hours. These commercial-grade safes can tolerate temperatures of nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Firearm safes ensure weapons on the premises are being handled responsibly. These commercial safes securely limit firearm access, and protect valuables from potential thieves. This equipment also helps keep firearms away from children.
Additionally, fireproof and firearm safes provide you with the option of a combination or electronic lock. Combination locks have a numbered dial that turns tumblers within the unit, and electronic locks are designed with a simple keypad that can be programmed for more than one user. It's easier to change the combination on retail safes with electronic locks.
Because they're built right into the wall, wall safes can be easily concealed, but they can only be installed in a wall that is a minimum of 2 inches by 4 inches thick. Most commercial structures meet these standards. There are three types of wall safe: hotel, under-desk, and pharmacy.
Hotel safes are usually designed with keypads. They enable guests to program a code of their own, or they can access the commercial-grade safe with a simple swipe of their room key. These commercial cash safes are secured with heavy-duty steel bolts.
Under-desk safes can be anchored to the underside of a counter or to the floor with bolts. These are recommended for letting employees make speedy cash drops, though they can also be implemented as a type of secure deposit storage. Hotel guests could use them to drop off room keys as they leave.
Pharmacy safes are capable of securely housing large amounts of controlled or prescription medicine. These commercial safes are constructed with electronic locks, permitting the manager to easily change the code. This helps prevent unauthorized people, such as former employees, from accessing the safe.
What should I consider when purchasing a commercial safe?
When it comes to drop or fire safes, consider how much interior space you'll need and where the retail safe will be placed. Firearm safes require you to know what type of and how many guns you'll be keeping in the safe, and with wall safes, the first concern should be size. For commercial safes, size means two considerations: internal and external. Think about the items you'll generally be keeping in your commercial-grade safe and how frequently those items will require you to open the equipment or transport valuables to other sites, such as a bank. High-volume establishments will likely need to invest in a larger commercial cash safe, but if frequent trips are being made, a smaller version will work just fine.