What you need to know about commercial safes

Every local business owner here in Temecula, CA should seriously think about adding a commercial safe of some kind to their business. Unlike scenes in the movies; you don’t have to be a huge commercial bank in order to take advantage of the many advantages of having and using a commercial safe. Local small to medium business firms use them on an everyday basis. These can include book stores, jewelry shops, hotels, gas stations, apartment rentals, sandwich shops, hardware stores and literally thousands more. Each firm uses their safe to secure cash and valuables while still making them easily available when needed. Keep reading to see how adding a strong, smartly placed commercial safe can make a real difference at your local firm.

Our Temecula Locksmith shop offers commercial safes to area companies in all sizes, materials and price ranges. If you don’t live in the metro area, don’t worry; you can take the advice we give you here and apply it to your locale.

Commercial safes are for any business!

That’s right; any business can benefit from the smart use of a commercial safe, including yours! You can flip through any yellow page book or drive down any main street and notice scores of different companies that could use a safe to secure their valuables. Liquor stores, pizza parlors, dog groomers, storage facilities, gas stations, movie theaters, shoe stores, cafes, plumbers, dentists, injury attorneys, office rentals and thousands more. Even single office occupants like insurance agents and artists can benefit from having a safe for their use.

I have desks and file cabinets; why do I need a safe?

This is a very good and common question. While it is true that your desks and file cabinets can be locked, it all comes down to the quality (or lack of it) of those locks. File cabinet and desk locks are usually of the cam variety. The ‘cam’ is the tail of the lock that is connected to a rounded bolt. This tail swivels to lock and secure your drawer or cabinet. They provide minimal security as they are easy to pick open or smash open. File cabinets and desk locks of this nature provide basic security for items of low security level or importance. The appearance of security is given as many, if not most people don’t know about the quality and history of cam locks. You can be sure that those most likely to break into your office files and desk drawers DO know about the security drawbacks of cam locks! There is no one-size fits all lock that is impregnable, easily installed, affordable and used for everything. Locks are to be used for designated purposes and those on your desks, office cabinets and file drawers are only meant for minimum to medium security items and documents.

Okay, so what can I put in my commercial safe?

What is valuable to you or to your business that you don’t want stolen or viewed by others? That’s what you put inside your safe. There is no hard and fast rule about commercial safe contents; you decide, plain and simple. To start, get the images of stacks of cold, hard cash and gold bars out of your head. If you have them, sure, put them in your safe, but if not, don’t worry about it. Hollywood and the nightly news are responsible for portraying commercial safes as owned and used by rich moguls and captains of industry worth billions. While these do indeed install and use commercial safes, there’s no reason why you and your HVAC firm can’t do the same!

Jewelry stores can put cash, gems and rare jeweled items inside. A bank can put the obvious extra cash and deposit money inside. A book store could secure rare editions and priceless manuscripts in their commercial safe. Even fast food outlets can keep cash register receipts, extra cash and coin rolls in their safe. They can’t run to the bank for deposits every few hours and fast food is a very cash intensive business. A web design or IT company may keep flash drives, software and customer records in theirs. No matter what business you operate, the will always be a need for cash money, inventory and records to be kept safe and secure.

Would you like additional safe details?

If you are a local business owner, you most likely know other local business owners that you network with. Ask them what they are using to protect their cash, records and prized inventory. They may or may not be using a commercial safe but they will appreciate sharing details about their safes if they have one and their concerns if they don’t. Bear in mind that the purchase of a commercial safe for your company is often tax deductible as a business expense. You can also contact a local commercial locksmith shop and learn quite a bit from them. All safes are not alike and you’ll want one that is designed and built with your business type in mind.

Where to buy your safe

Safes can be bought just about anywhere. You can buy used ones at estate auctions and even at yard sales. Police seizures often are sold at periodic times along with other items used in crimes like cars, furniture, jewelry and art. Safe stores are a semi good choice but you are paying high middle man mark ups since they usually outsource everything to local commercial locksmiths including delivery, set up, service and maintenance. If you buy online, you can get good, new inventory but if you have questions or service for your safe, there is no one to call or talk to. Local stores often sell safes but remember that part time, minimum wage clerks have little knowledge or interest in helping you. You must still find your own delivery, set up and service. We recommend that you use a local one-stop shop for everything to do with your safe; a commercial locksmith!