Okay so this whole thing started because my brother’s wedding is coming up and we need like 200 plastic tubs for drinks. Yeah, I know, crazy number. Buying those retail? Forget it, my wallet would cry. So I figured, gotta find a deal online. Bulk plastic tubs… how hard could it be to get them cheap? Turns out, kinda tricky, but I got it done.
Step 1: Just Googling Like Crazy
First thing? I grabbed my coffee, sat down at my dusty kitchen table, and just typed “bulk plastic tubs” into Google. Huge mistake. So many websites popped up, I got dizzy. Amazon, some random online stores, manufacturer pages… it was a mess. Prices jumped all over the place. One site showed $1.50 per tub, the next wanted $3! Crazy.
I quickly realized clicking every link was gonna take forever. So frustrating. Needed a better way.
Step 2: Filter Hunting (Took Ages!)
Okay, plan B. Gotta actually use those filters on the shopping sites. Most places have them tucked away somewhere. On Amazon, I went to the “Industrial & Scientific” section – sounds fancy but it’s where the real bulk stuff hides sometimes. Then I started checking boxes:
- Material: Plastic (duh)
- Type: Food Storage Containers or Drink Dispensers
- Quantity: Set it to show packs of 6, 12, 24… stuff like that. Needed big packs.
Still felt like wading through mud. Found a few contenders but nothing screamed “amazing deal”. Kept seeing ‘prime’ stuff mixed in, expensive shipping otherwise.
Step 3: The Magic Words Trick
Here’s something stupid that actually worked. Instead of just “bulk plastic tubs”, I started messing with the search words. Adding “clearance” or “closeout”? Mostly junk. But then I tried things like:
- “Wholesale plastic drink tubs”
- “Discount multi-pack plastic beverage containers”
- “Clear plastic party drink tubs bulk”
Seriously, tweaking those words made some different, cheaper options appear! Found a site I hadn’t seen before that looked more like a wholesaler. Prices were lower per tub if I bought a ton.
Step 4: Hunting for Codes is Annoying
Alright, now I see some decent options. But how to slash that price even more? Discount codes. This part sucks. I hate hunting for codes. Went straight to Google again and typed “site name discount code” for a couple of the cheaper places.
Most codes were expired. Dead ends. But then, for one wholesaler-style site, Google actually showed a box right there with a working coupon code! Something simple like WELCOME10. Entered it at checkout and boom, got 10% off the whole order. Saved like $25 just for typing some random letters.
Step 5: Quantity vs. Box Price Trap
This is where I almost messed up big time. Found these tubs listed as “Pack of 12”. Price looked decent. Added them to cart. Needed way more than 12, right? So I changed the quantity selector to “5”, thinking that meant 5 packs… so 5 packs x 12 tubs = 60 tubs.
Almost clicked buy! But luckily, I double-checked the cart summary. Turns out the site saw “quantity 5” as just buying 5 individual tubs, not packs! What a nightmare that would have been. Rookie move. Had to go back, find where it actually listed the pack size clearly, and added the correct number of packs. Always read the fine print!
Final Move: The Cart Sit Trick
Chose a seller with decent bulk price and that discount code. Added 17 packs (that’s 204 tubs, perfect) to my cart. Total looked okay, but still a chunk of cash.
Here’s my sneaky trick: I closed the browser without buying. Went and made dinner. Came back a couple hours later, went to the site again… and guess what? It showed a little pop-up! “Items left in your cart! Complete your purchase?” And underneath… “GET5” for an extra 5% off!
Yep, sometimes leaving stuff in your cart makes the website panic and offer you more money off. Worked this time! Combined with the first code? Jackpot.
What I Learned (The Painful Way)
- Use specific search terms: “Bulk” alone isn’t enough. Add stuff like “wholesale” or “multi-pack”.
- Filters are your friend (mostly): Helps narrow down, but gotta dig.
- Discount code snooping sucks but works: Google the site name + “discount code”, might get lucky.
- Quantity PER PACK vs. TOTAL quantity: This is a TRAP. Be super careful! Double-check the cart.
- Dare to abandon cart: Leaving it might trigger a secret extra discount offer. Worth a shot!
Finally pulled the trigger late last night. Got 204 tubs arriving next week for way less than I thought possible at the start. Phew. Wedding disaster averted, money saved. Now I just gotta figure out where to store all these darn tubs!
