Contactless Payment Won’t Spell the End for Safes
The action of making payment by tapping a debit card or a mobile phone against the display of a PDQ machine has become a commonplace sight in retail outlets, pubs and cafes up and down the high street. With less cash changing hands, will there still be a market for good quality safes? We think there definitely will be – here’s a few reasons why.
Still Plenty of Cash
In 2006, cash was used for 62% of all transactions. In 2016 this had fallen to 40% and the amount is predicted to fall to 21% by 2026. But that is still a huge amount of cash that needs to be safely stored – about £35 billion worth of banknotes!
Other Uses for Safes
And safes aren’t just used for storing cash. Other uses include:
- Safe storage of documents such as passports.
- Protection for jewellery and other valuable items.
- Chemists are legally required to store certain pharmaceuticals in a safe.
- Security for sensitive office data such as employee records.
Fire Protection
Some safes offer protection from fire as well as burglary. The fire standards certification should be found on the inside door of a safe. This will indicate the standard to which a particular safe has been tested – the most stringent European fire standard for safes (EN 1047-1) involves heating the safe to 170°C for two hours and then dropping the safe from a height of 9 metres! This simulates the effects of a house fire causing the safe to fall from the first floor.
If you are thinking about buying and installing a safe, we are happy to offer advice. We have a dedicated safe-moving van which we use for transporting large safes that may be too heavy for a conventional vehicle. For more information, give us a call on 01603 812613 or email admin@ptlockandsafe.co.uk.
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