Everyone loves a good dupe, which—if you're lucky—is just as good as the original. Heading to Home Depot is usually pretty reliable, and you generally don't need "dupes" for nails, paint, or other home improvement supplies. But there's one extremely popular product that's perpetually sold out, and now shoppers say you can find a very similar item that's even "better quality" at another store entirely. Read on to find out what you might want to start shopping for elsewhere.
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Different seasonal products have been catching shoppers' eyes.
svetikd / iStockIf you love Halloween, odds are when Oct. 1 rolls around, you're pulling out all of your decorations. But if you're in the market for something new, there's a wide selection of viral products to choose from.
This year, shoppers have gone particularly crazy for decorations sold at Michaels, which were already sold out at several locations as of late summer. The décor line includes signs for tarot card readings, crystal balls, spell books, skulls, and other items you'd associate with the Victorian Gothic style.
T.J. Maxx and Marshalls were also destinations for spooky shoppers, as the retailers were selling a black-and-white mat covered in ghosts that went viral on TikTok. The rug sold out swiftly online, much like another decoration sold at Home Depot.
This Halloween staple is all the rage.
Home DepotAll the way back in July, Home Depot announced the return of "Skelly," a 12-foot skeleton that's become increasingly popular over the years.
"We formally invite you to save the date," Home Depot tweeted on July 8. "Mark your calendars because on July 15, Skelly is back in stock with some new and old giant friends."
It also included the ominous note "while supplies last," and they did run out remarkably fast. According to USA Today, the first batch of inventory was sold out by July 18. SFGATE reported that there was more inventory as of Sept. 26, but when searching on Home Depot's website just two days later, the massive skeleton is again out of stock.
If you weren't able to get your hands on Skelly, shoppers are saying there's a dupe that you can spring for instead.
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You'll need to head to another store.
Best BuyAs reported by SFGATE, you can head to Best Buy for a convincing Skelly dupe. This skeleton is a bit shorter, coming in at eight feet as opposed to 12, but it has a lot of the same features. Just like Home Depot's skeleton, Best Buy's option has LED eyes, and it also goes a step further with a "moving jaw" and makes "creepy sounds," according to the product page.
The skeleton from Best Buy is normally priced higher than Skelly, at $349.99 instead of $299. But if you buy soon, you can take advantage of a sale at Best Buy and purchase their "towering skeleton" for $249.99.
Customers are thrilled with the eight-foot option.
Asif Islam / ShutterstockThe product reviews for Best Buy's skeleton are glowing, and it has an average rating of 4.5 stars.
"Exactly what you would expect," one five-star review reads. "Same if not better quality of the 12 foot. Good movement in the jaw, eyes work well. Volume control is nice for indoor or outdoor use." Another stated that the skeleton "exceeded expectations" and that they'd recommend purchasing "since the 12-foot skeleton is nearly impossible to get."
One shopper said that they're not interested in a 12-foot version and "can't imagine" having a skeleton over eight feet, but another said that they actually bought Best Buy's skeleton to stand alongside Skelly.
"This has been a wonderful addition to my skeleton collection," another reviewer wrote. "It accompanies my 12 foot skeleton (you can see the true differences with them in size, but the entertainment value is there). So many people stop just to look at them."
Not everyone was impressed.
Best BuySpattered throughout the positive reviews are some that are critical. One shopper complained about the audio feature, calling it "corny."
"There should be a button on it to select 'party mode' or 'spooky mode,'" a three-star review from last Halloween reads. "I have this in my spooky outdoor display. The corny and tacky dialog ruins it. I may return it for this reason."
Others noted that another of the product's unique features, its moving jaw, stopped working, and the motion sensor is not always functioning properly.
"It's large. It's scary. The eyes are impressive," another review reads. "However the jaw stopped working after 5 minutes. Disappointing for a $350 prop."
