So I'm at Farm & Fleet in Woodstock perusing the Kerosene Heaters for $129 and drooling over a track-drive snowblower (which I buy) and I decide to browse the rest of the store.

At one point I end up in an aisle that has those fire-proof lockboxes and "fire-proof" safes in them. they have more variety on display than I have ever seen.

Each one has a plastic pouch and a xeroxed voucher you take to the cashier and then they get one from the back for you.

However, I note that all FIVE of the safes that are capable of being "locked down" and are priced between $99 and $160 have EMPTY pouches. There is a little tag there that says: "Sorry Temporarily Out of Stock". the plastic pouches are a little ragged too, like people had bent them down hoping to find the "last" ticket in there somewheres. Of course I had to stick my fingers in as well ;^)

Imagine my surprise when I got home and checked out some stuff and found GNORTH has a blurb about Home Safes being in short supply (a PR release from Brinks).

hmmm coincidence? naaaaaahhhh.

All of a sudden people need some place to put their valuables? Like cash?

or maybe this is some new Halloween thing, lock up the candy so it doesn't all get eaten before next Sunday nite.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), October 21, 1999

Answers

They had plenty of fire safes and safes at WalMart yesterday only I couldn't bring myself to buy one. They have "here are the valuables" written all over them...

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), October 21, 1999.

Talking to a local gun dealer where I bought two Browning gun safes about 5 and 10 years ago. He said gun sales were up but safes were really hot and Browning would not be delivering any more this year, back ordered. These safes cost about $1100-$1200.

-- LittleMoreInfo (qwer@yhtgrf.com), October 21, 1999.

No, no, no, you don't understand. People are buying those safes for their IMPORTANT HARDCOPY DOCUMENTS which they will collect. Keep CASH in them? Why would anyone ever want to do that? The safest place for your money is in the bank. Obviously.

- - - - - - N O T !!!! - - - - - - -

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), October 21, 1999.

Mara: I'd like to hear what your alternative is to the firesafe boxes. Thanks.

-- Diane (DDEsq2002@juno.com), October 21, 1999.

A gun.

-- the Virginian (1@1.com), October 21, 1999.

Uncle Deedah said it over a year ago: Midnight Gardening.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), October 21, 1999.

Alternative to safes:

Scatter the valuables in containers/buried-in-drawers throughout the house that seem to contain junk? And keep your house secured and your mouth shut as to keeping cash?

Live in an area with low rates of break-ins?

Spend most of your money on the same neccesities you will need anyway later, but that are too bulky to easily carry off?

-- S. Kohl (kohl@hcpd.com), October 21, 1999.

tool box on the work bench. find it quick before you meet Mr. (It's- a-Bad-Fur-Day-and-I'm-Hungry) Rotweiler. That quiet pressure in the small of your back could be him sniffing you or my 870 breathing on your shirt......

Chuck

OBTW- there are 9 toolboxes, all in the same state of disaray. You pick.

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), October 22, 1999.

You really MUST have one of these for your important documents. WalMart has more reasonably priced, perhaps smaller (?) safes than the prices you mention. I even found mine, a last-one-discontinued smallish one that will hold papers for $9.00 on sale, reduced from $29. These are good to carry in your vehicle if you need to "bug out" also, so your papers go with you.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), October 22, 1999.