Nobody Gets Locked In
By Connor · Founder, ShiftFree · 843-894-0852
This is usually the first thing an owner asks, and it should be. If you're going to let people use your store when no one's on staff, the worst thing that can happen isn't a stolen quarter. It's a customer who can't get out.
So here's the short answer, then the long one.
The electricity decides who gets in. It never decides who gets out.
What the codes actually ask for
The life-safety codes most places adopt say roughly the same thing about an exit door: a person inside has to be able to open it in one motion. No key. No code. No app. No special knowledge. You push, and you're out.
That's the standard we build to. Not "usually works." Every time, with the power on or off, with the internet up or down.
How the door is built
Every location gets the same standardized mechanical door hardware. We don't use magnetic locks.
From the outside, the entry door is locked and secured. A customer needs a valid credential on their phone to get in. From the inside, it's a push paddle. One push releases the latch from the electric strike, and you're out. There's nothing electronic between a person and the exit.
That's a deliberate choice. If the power goes out, the outside stays locked, so the store stays secure. The inside still opens. If the internet drops, credentials keep working at the door, and the inside still opens. There isn't a failure we've planned for where the inside stops opening.
How we make sure
- The virtual site visit tells us what your door requires before any hardware is ordered: whether it's a required exit, whether it's fire-rated, what it can take.
- The same mechanical hardware goes on every door, so there's no guesswork at install.
- Every install ends with an exit test from inside the store, documented with photos, video and a sign-off.
- You receive a signed installation certificate: the hardware installed, the exit test performed, and what the site visit found.
What's yours to know
We don't make code determinations. Your local fire marshal and building department do. What we do is make sure the questions get asked before install day, and that the door we leave you with passes the test we'd want our own family inside of.