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Rich Gabie says he and his wife recently installed a safe in their Westchester home, and now he sleeps a bit more soundly.

“With the economy the way it is today, my wife and I decided to bring a lot of important stuff a little closer to home and a little more cash,” says Gabie.

Gabie is not alone. At American Locksmith in Midtown Manhattan, owner Bill Gendler says customers are now buying safes at record levels, compared with years past.

“Say, we would sell oh, three safes a week, now we sell 12 safes a week,” says Gendler.

In fact, Gendler says, in the last few months, he's had to double his safe inventory to keep up with demand and he even created a special section in his store. He says there's been no end in sight to the demand

“[Customers say] we're not sure of the banks, we're not sure if they're going to be here. We want to take some of our valuables out and secure them,” he says.

Manhattan psychologist Ken Ruge says he's not surprised that people are making these kinds of purchases, and says that in uncertain times, people will take one step toward trying to keep control of your finances.

“Fear is contagious. You build on each other's stories of what could happen,” says Ruge. “You create these scary scenarios and I think people then behave on them - in terms of selling, in terms of moving, in terms of buying things like safes. So fear is powerful, it's huge, and I think that's what we're seeing here is a little symptom of that fear.”

Gabie says the $500 he paid for his home safe was a worthwhile investment, but one he says he and his wife did not plan for.

“Never thought we would have these conversations,” says Gabie. “Everybody will be on line to get money from the government and it has to end somewhere.”

For now, Gabie’s safe is providing him with a little more peace of mind.