Doesn't really sound like something a cheap brewer would do. You must have quite a bucket collection. If you really only trust plastic for a couple of uses, then even with what you'd save by getting them at a big box store instead of a brewing retailer you're probably better off in the long run investing in a stainless steel fermenter.I only use fermenters a couple of times before I retire them to cleaning/sanitizing containers.
I have a couple of the 5 gallon food grade buckets that I got at Lowe's several years ago. I use them for brining birds for the smoker. Never used them to ferment. They have a faint smell of vinegar, but so what? I have three 6 - 6.5 gallon buckets that I ferment in. They smell like beer even right after a thorough cleaning, but again, so what? I don't see any reason to retire them unless/until they get scratched up, and I don't clean them with anything that should do that.