Store Highlight Settlement For Free

Any storage container in a settlement will work. If you're worried about something getting stolen, just choose a settlement with no people.

Sometimes settlers will stop them before they make it that far, but you can easily just put turrets around the entrances and walls surrounding your settlement. As long as you're present for the settlement attack a few well placed turrets will fend off most attacks.

An unpopulated, unlinked settlement's workshop, or in a non-workshop container. Build mode -> furniture -> containers. All of them are safe storage (they don't reset).

Yes settlers will scan any local container (corpses are containers) for weapon and ammo content in combat. Lock them, or block them or use remote container activators (shared storage mods). There are only three storage options that have been shown to be settler proof: A container locked with a console command.

Only junk is shared. Any weapons, apparel, aid, misc or ammo isn't shared. This also apply to things you build. You will only have them available in the settlement you built it.

Each store provides some certain happiness bonus which is divided by the number of settlers in the settlement. There are unique recruitable NPCs who each allow a specific type of Tier 3 store to operate as a Tier 4 store, with special additional inventory.

Stores generate caps per day based upon how many settlers are in the settlement. Without mods it is capped at 50 caps per day. The different levels of the stores generate more happiness and better inventory to sell. If you are looking for more of an economy for your settlement then Sim Settlements mod has a tax system.