To dupe or not to dupe? While many of us want to save money while still enjoying our creature comforts, at what point are we sabotaging our potential enjoyment just to save a few dollars?
There is a clear difference between counterfeit dupes, i.e. products that pretend to be the real thing and others that legally make their own version of a product inspired by a familiar item many people know.
Rarely, however, has a dupe been able to transport you back in time, so to speak, with a specific price point, but that’s what Walmart is effectively accomplishing with its dupes of popular candy bar brands.
The real question is, however: are they any good? That’s one discussion that arose in response to a video posted by a TikToker named Kirk (@walruscarp). He was shocked to see Walmart going big on the chocolate bar game—manufacturing Great Value versions of beloved chocolate bar staples, but selling them at a fraction of the price.
Kirk records himself in front of a large Great Value candy display in the store. He talks about the market implications of Walmart’s strategy and how the chain may’ve just created another business vertical to increase profits.
“Walmart is coming after like Snickers, Kit Kats, Twix?” he starts. “This is brand new, 78 cents [he refers to the Snickers dupe in the video] peanut caramel, nougat bar, OK…Snickers…cookie & caramel bar, definitely Twix, again, 78 cents, caramel nougat bar, is that like a Three Musketeers…”
Kirk continues, “And then, oh Kit-Kats dude. They sell their own Kit-Kats for 78 cents…” He talks about Walmart going after the better-known candy brands. “I mean in this economy, you got Snickers for a dollar thirty-two, so it’s basically half price, that’s a king size so we can’t count that, how much is a Milky Way? Dude, all of these are king sizes do they have normal sizes here at Walmart?”
@walruscarp Bootleg $0.78 Snickers, Twix, Milky Way and Kit Kat at Walmart. Dang dude im all about it. Most of the time these are made by the big candy manufacturers anyway. #walmart #walmartfinds #candybar #candybars #snickers #bootlegcandy #twix #kitkat #milkyway #walruscarp #walmartdeals #walmartclearance ♬ original sound – Kirk • Theme Park Expert
He then walks through the store to see if he can find any standard sizes of popular chocolate bars, finding only king sizes.
“In this economy, I think everybody’s looking for a great value,” he concludes.
It’s hard to ignore the point Kirk is making, even if it is with Great Value chocolate. Branding has victimized many bank accounts: consumers who are lured by marketing, advertising campaigns, and the allure of being considered chic because they purchased a product is a massively profitable industry: $766 billion to be exact and it’s expected to be worth a trillion come 2025.
However, this doesn’t change the fact that there are companies who will dump a lot of money to convince shoppers they should buy their products over the competition, even if rivals are effectively offering identical, or similar items at a lower price point. A great example of this phenomenon can be seen with many over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen.
Now, it appears that Walmart is doing the same with its chocolate products and many viewers said they tried the bars out with differing opinions on its quality.
One TikToker said that when it came to the Snickers dupe, it just didn’t hit the same way, writing, “Tried the Snickers knockoff, not good at all.”
Someone else said whenever they found these dupes available in store they enjoyed them, sharing, “They had those last year and then they went away. Hope they bring them back cuz they were great!”
And according to this person, Walmart’s take on chocolate-coated wafers is stellar. “The KitKat ones are pretty good. haven’t had the others,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart and Kirk via email for further information.
