San Diego Drums & Totes

It amazes me how all the good reviews are for nothing but a store taking their money and handing them a product? So, what did they do to deserve a 5 star rating? Lots of friends and family?
I will simply post the facts and let Unilocalers decide.
Ordred a 205g Bushman tan tank in early Jan and was told it would be there on the 11^th. I clearly explained i needed it at their San Marcos location and they said no problem. The person who took the order was very personable and polite.
About a week after the 11^th no call so I called and was told they have it but couldn’t contact me as they misplaced my phone number. They emailed me the receipt so they had a way to contact me.
They explained they would need a day or so to get it to San Marcos.
I pass the store so I would stop in front and call as their never looked to be anyone inside the store working? Lucky I did as each time the story was longer and changed. They had the tank, they didn’t have the tank, they couldn’t find the tank, it will be there tomorrow, etc.
On approx Feb 2^nd I had had it and called and explained I need the tank it is almost a month late. Again they were personable and told me without a doubt it would be there by Thursday the 4^th. They explain there was a mix up and it was there all along. She went so far as to describe the weathered tag with my name on it.
I went to store again on ²⁄₆ to pick up tank. Guy in store seamed lost and had no idea what I was talking about. He explained that they did not have the tank and the other store didn’t either and Bushman was the problem??? NOT ONE APOLOGY. When I questioned what happened the reply I got was «What do you want me to do?». Best part is he couldn’t even issue a refund as he didn’t know how.
At this point I am not too happy. I call other store and worker tells me again now Bushman is the problem. I explain you said tank was there? He tells me I don’t own the place I just work here. I am now even more pissed as what does this have to do with me? He just keeps talking over me saying «Do you want to speak with a supervisor».
A supervisor named Holly now answers phone and decides it is her place to now school and yell at a deservingly pissed off customer. Every time I attempted to say a word she would cut me off getting louder and more attitude. I drove 2 exits without saying a word hearing her yell at how I was wrong and how she wasn’t the person who took the order. I am tired of employees not realizing they are part of the Co and not wonting it doesn’t mean they can’t assist a customer.
I reached my boiling point and told her to go F herself. Even then she didn’t stop talking. Is this the proper way for me to handle the situation? No, but at some point you realize you are dealing with someone who just doesn’t get customer service and to get some relief that was my reaction. I do not apologize one bit. Why should I? I never once received any apology from many worker and that is all I was looking for. I am sorry we screwed up we will make sure we have it there today or tomorrow the latest. I know you are pissed and it is OUR fault but let us correct the situation for you. Is that a hard response??? It is when you are too busy yelling at a customer.
I finally received a call from the owner who was polite but was just lost as to anything regarding the transaction. They offered a prompt refund but how embarrassing when he had to call me back as they had none of my information. Remember I gave them a deposit on my CC card over a month earlier. So they lost my phone number, tank and entire transaction?
BEST PART is Dixiline who is 5 blocks away with the tank sitting on their lot was $ 329 vs $ 375 before TX. they were charging me. They had about 10 of them. I was in and out in about 15 minutes with them being polite and personable the whole time. They even loaded it without me lifting a finger.
Thanks SD Drums you saved me $ 45 and yes I paid with CC for both transactions.
Tired of employees who just don’t get they are the ones that should correct a bad situation and they are the one that owe the paying customer customer service not the other way around. So I should over pay $ 45 and be the one to calm down this obnoxious employee? I will say there is an employee there who name starts with an «S» sorry, I forgot her name but she is a polite personable person and does not deserve to be lumped in with the rest of the above review.

Huge inventory, awesome price and great service!
I’m in the process of building a smoker and needed a good metal 55 gallon drum to start with. They have food grade but they have that liner that is a pain in rear to get off. The good news is they refurbished unlined drums too!!! Also saw a nice stainless one that I will be purchasing for my next build.
They have all kinds of drums and in all sizes and different materials. Lots of water storage containers to. Give them a look for any of your smoker/​BBQ building needs. Same goes for water storage systems. Great pricing as well!!! Will be back

Basically was given free barrels to save water. Justin offered great customer service and showed me what I needed and how to get the rebate. I wish all my shopping trips were like this.

With the drought situation, conserving water has been a big issue. Came here to get rain barrels, they have factory made ones as well as just industrial food grade plastic barrels and drums both new and used (recycled). The industrial food barrels, (used to pickle jalapeños, olives, and pepperoncinis) are much thicker than the actual factory made rain barrels. They have some pre-​made or sold with the kit to do it yourself for $ 75.
The staff is super friendly and helpful they did not have any pre-​made at the time, the guy before me, took the last ones, but they just made them for me right there on the spot. They even let me pick out which ones i wanted, It just took a few minutes and they rang me up and i was on my way. They gave me a flyer on where and how to get my $ 75 (per barrel) rebate (up to 4); So they were pretty much free! I had them deliver them for a small charge ($ 20 — $ 40 depending on where you live)
They have 1 or 2 models of factory made rain barrels, but they really specialize in industrial drums and plastics, both new and used. There were also some huge 100+ gallon tanks as well which can be used to catch rain or as part of an aquaponics project. It was really a no brainer to choose the recycled barrels, not only were they cheaper and the price was exactly the amount of the state rebate, but they were also thicker and more durable and you’re also recycling or repurposing, which i think is very cool.
The staff was very friendly and they knew everything about all their different products and answered all my questions. Hands down the BEST place to get rain barrels.
If you are like many of the doubters out there, who say «it doesn’t rain that much in San Diego» and think you don’t need rain barrels. It’s the exact opposite! If it rained all the time, you wouldn’t need rain barrels. After just one day of partial rain, all 4 rain barrels were filled to the very top (232 gallons) and overflowing. It’s crazy how fast they fill up! I probably won’t need to water my plants for the next 2 or 3 months!
There are actually 2 rebates and you can double up on them if you are in the City of San Diego
Here are the sites to sign up for the rebates

These guys where sssoooo nice!!! They played with my girls while helping to educate me on which drum I should buy for my laundry grey water. I did what I wanted anyway and I wish I had listened to them. These guys rock!

Knowledgeable and really well stocked! Thanks for the help building out my rain catch system

Patrick was very helpful and knows his stuff. I wasn’t sure if I could fit these 58 gallon barrels in my trunk. He brought out 2 of them to my suv to see if they would fit, and they did. I bought 2 of them and Patrick even sealed the lid with some wrap to make sure none of the liquid leaked into my car during the drive home. Go Patrick!
I will be back for 1 more. Thanks.

Michael was super helpful. We came in to purchase a rain barrel and they have a great selection of non-​cheesy ones, which are hard to find. They were great at giving instructions on how to set it up, and we will definitely be back to purchase a second one!

Make sure you talk to Michael when checking out, so you get the 5% discount, as I was told by a different employee that it didn’t qualify, since I was getting a rebate. Either way, good to get it set up to collect rain.

We went into the store with the intent of purchasing wine barrels to use for rain collection. They have a huge selection of wine barrels to chose from, but the helpful staff gave us great information about the care required for the wood barrels and advised us of the rebate program that the State of California was offering to get a $ 75 rebate on a rain barrel. He pointed out that the store sold 58 gallon plastic barrels with the kit needed to hook up to the rain gutter for $ 75 making the net cost just the sales tax. The wine barrels cost more, but this business sees the benefit of giving good service and good advise as opposed to the easy buck.
I practice the same philosophy in my business, so I even wrote a blog post at
to share with my customers.
You can’t go wrong going to this business for your storage needs.

I highly recommend this place they have a huge inventory, may sizes to choose from and very reasonable prices! I use there barrels to keep all my animal feed in. They are very nice & sturdy! Friendly & helpful service!

I came in the other day looking for a 55 gallon drum. I am tired of the hard water in my garden. Mike was quick to come over and assist me with my quest. I loved the fact that I knew mentally what I was trying to do and it just would not come out verbally, Mike was able to decipher what I meant and made sure I had everything that I needed prior to leaving the store. This place is clean and the staff were really amazing! I will be back again. Happy Unilocaling

I’ve been here 2 times, once at their old location & now once at their new place. It’s somewhat more professional now, it’s a big warehouse, instead of an outside, under the sun operation.
Their stock is dependent on what they can get their hands on, so they don’t always have everything they advertise for.
Overall, I was pleased with both purchase’s & will return If I need more barrels.
4 Stars because the barrels are cleaned, dried & have no damage. You can try & barter, but you’ll just be wasting your breath with this place.

Great new location that actually feels like a store front. The options have expanded with the new wine/​whiskeys barrels, along with better inventory. I purchased all the equipment I needed for the San Diego Diego Rainwater Rebate Program (
). A one stop shop for sure. Thanks guys!

Just bought two 55 gallon water barrels and they are very nice. Clean inside, nice bungs, no stripped threads, no holes in the bottom, no funky odors and no adverse issues with the product. Dude that runs the place is not very friendly and will not budge on his prices but I expect that from this type of place. This is not a fancy retail store, it’s an outdoor compound that attracts preppers, survivalists, nutjobs like me, etc. They charge 5% extra if you use your credit card. And NO, there are no further cash discounts. Not for me anyway. Maybe you can sweet talk this guy into a better price.

Easy to find, friendly service. Loaded my Prius with two 55 gallon water drums and four 17 gallon food storage bins. They give volume discounts on the larger drums if you buy two or more.
3−27−13 REVISION
I have been informed they no longer charge an extra 5% if you use a credit card. I promptly pushed them up to five stars. Well done, folks!