Just picked my new Shield up.
Fit and finish seems good, but the slide release is very tight.
It takes pressing the release with to hands, to release the slide.
I hope this works itself out with use.
I will be taking it to the range later next week.
On the M&P it's considered a slide stop and the suggestion is to slingshot the slide instead of using the lever to release it like many other semi-autos. They even describe the process on the bottom of page 17 of the Owner's Manual.