$1 per gallon at Petco

[Waterworld]

Just got the e-mail, for anyone in the market for a tank. 

[treesprite]

Better check them before buying if you plan on drilling. I just found out that the 75 I got is fully tempered. Turns out Aqueon randomly uses tempered glass when it runs low on regular glass.

[Stephen]

Pay close attention to the silicon, glass alignment, and squareness  on these tanks when you see them for $1 per gallon. I've heard from both petco and petsmart employees these tanks are "seconds" from manufacturing and the $1 per gallon sale is how they get rid of them.

[treesprite]

On 7/30/2019 at 10:54 PM, Stephen said:

Pay close attention to the silicon, glass alignment, and squareness  on these tanks when you see them for $1 per gallon. I've heard from both petco and petsmart employees these tanks are "seconds" from manufacturing and the $1 per gallon sale is how they get rid of them.

 

I don't really believe it. First thing is that the stores revert back to full price on  the exact same tanks when the sale is in effect - if the reason for the cheap price was that the tanks are "seconds", the price wouldn't get raised back up. Also, the quality of the tanks is affected when the manufacture has to rush through big orders when the retailers are having these sales. The stores are not losing any money, just taking out their drastic markup. The sale gets people in the store and the store sells more fish and equipment.

Edited August 1, 2019 by treesprite

[Stephen]

1 hour ago, treesprite said:

 

I don't really believe it. First thing is that the stores revert back to full price on  the exact same tanks when the sale is in effect - if the reason for the cheap price was that the tanks are "seconds", the price wouldn't get raised back up. Also, the quality of the tanks is affected when the manufacture has to rush through big orders when the retailers are having these sales. The stores are not losing any money, just taking out their drastic markup. The sale gets people in the store and the store sells more fish and equipment.

I wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything. It's great you have such firm belief in honest business practices with regards to chain pet supply stores.

[treesprite]

12 hours ago, Stephen said:

I wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything. It's great you have such firm belief in honest business practices with regards to chain pet supply stores.

I'm sorry, I wasn't saying I don't believe you, rather the people who gave you that information. The only way anyone would know for sure, would be to go to the factory.

[Origami]

Over the years, I've bought a few of the smaller tanks from the $1/gallon sale and they've all been good.

 

I can certainly see the business value of selling new hobbyists such cheap tanks. After all, they'll need the rest of their setup, livestock, food, etc. A great sale can bring people in the door which is one of the primary goals of advertising and the principle behind loss-leaders.

[Stephen]

12 hours ago, treesprite said:

I'm sorry, I wasn't saying I don't believe you, rather the people who gave you that information. The only way anyone would know for sure, would be to go to the factory.

No worries. I was told by the manager which has been a long time friend when I questioned why the new 40 breeder we picked up had a noticeable wobble when placed on a very level stand. Out of curiosity I asked a fish room person at another chain store and was told they do the same. I have photos of a frag tank I ordered from a local shop with a horrible silicone and alignment job from Deep Blue that I had replaced. Seconds do get sent out from manufacturers and they do get sold to people that don't know better, don't care, or don't pay attention. Sometimes at full price and sometimes at $1 per gallon. That's the only reason I suggested people pay very close attention to these tanks. Especially larger ones. Even 20 gallons is a lot of water to come home to all over the floor.  

[treesprite]

I guess I have been lucky. I've bought a lot of tanks on those $1/gallon sales over the years, and never had a problem. None were tempered either, which is why I was surprised about the 75 (I drill nearly everything over 10g, though I don't know about the 29 I specifically bought for my mice during the last sale).