CBS News
The trendiest Halloween finds at Sam’s Club this month: Spooky season comes early
This content is sponsored by Sam’s Club.
Sam’s Club
Halloween may be months away, but wholesale retailer Sam’s Club is already getting into spooky season. This month, its Trending Items section is filled to the brim with everything you need to decorate for the October holiday, from 10-foot-tall animated skeletons to a massive Beetlejuice inflatable that’ll have the whole neighborhood talking.
The best Halloween decorations tend to sell out fast, so don’t sleep on the 2024 Sam’s Club Halloween collection. Read on for our top picks from Sam’s Club’s viral Halloween items, or tap the button below to see and shop the full collection of Sam’s Club’s trendiest items of the month.
To shop the trending Halloween collection at Sam’s Club, you’ll need to be a Sam’s Club member. If you’re not a member yet, we have good news: There’s a Sam’s Club membership deal that will save you 50% on your first year. Sign up now through October 31, 2024, and you’ll pay just $25. (A Club level membership to Sam’s Club is normally $50 per year.)
There’s also a deal on Sam’s Club Plus memberships if you want to start earning a 2% reward on your purchases (among other great perks). Normally $110, your first year of Sam’s Club Plus membership is just $70.
The trendiest Halloween finds at Sam’s Club in August 2024
Get ready for spooky season with these top Sam’s Club Halloween Trending Item finds of August 2024. Wondering what items have been trending at the wholesale club in the past? Check out our coverage of the trendiest Sam’s Club finds of April 2024, the trendiest Sam’s Club finds of May 2024, the trendiest Sam’s Club finds of June 2024 and the trendiest Sam’s Club finds of July 2024.
Member’s Mark 10-foot animated Triple Fright Reaper
Sam’s Club
Giant skeleton decorations are so very in right now, so it’s no surprise to see a giant skeleton on the Sam’s Club Trending Item list this month. This 10-foot-tall creeper is wearing a black robe with a purple gauze overlay.
Unlike other giant skeletons, this one has a special surprise: It features motion-activated lights, sounds and animations. When activated, the skeleton speaks and its robe opens to reveal two more hidden skulls with moving mouths and spooky light-up eyes.
The 10-foot Member’s Mark animated Triple Fright Reaper is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Find it for $230 at Sam’s Club.
Add two more skeletons for $100 more
Love the skeleton look? Add on to your outdoor spookscape by adding a pair of Member’s Mark bronze talking skeletons with light-up eyes. They feature locking joints so they can be posed in a variety of ways. When placed together, the two 5-foot-tall skeletons will talk and interact with each other.
Find the set of two skeletons at Sam’s Club for $100.
Beetlejuice 10.5-foot airblown inflatable archway
Sam’s Club
Really wow your trick-or-treaters this year — and their parents — with this airblown inflatable Beetlejuice archway that features a sandworm, sign and Beetlejuice himself. It’s equipped with LED lights so it’s visible at night, while the included heavy-duty lawn stakes will keep it in place. Setup is easy: It self-inflates in seconds once you plug it in, and deflates quickly for storage when not in use.
The 10.5-foot Beetlejuice inflatable archway is a Sam’s Club exclusive. It’s rated for both indoor and outdoor use. Find it online and in stores for $200.
Harry Potter 12-foot airblown inflatable Hogwarts Castle
Sam’s Club
If you’re looking for a more magical Halloween experience this year, check out the 12-foot inflatable Hogwarts Castle available at Sam’s Club. It features bright LEDs for nighttime use, and like the “Beetlejuice” inflatable above, it comes with lawn stakes and sets up in seconds.
One Sam’s Club reviewer calls this Harry Potter inflatable the best Halloween splurge they’ve ever made. “Everything about this castle made me happy!” they said. “The lights twinkle, it’s tall enough for people to actually walk under, set up wasn’t bad, and I was able to take it down and fit it back in the original box in less than 15 minutes. The motion activated music ended up being even better than I thought.”
Find this showstopping Harry Potter inflatable at Sam’s Club for $300 this August.
Disney Mickey Mouse Spooktacular Pumpkin Plush
Sam’s Club
Not everyone appreciates a Halloween fright — especially younger kids. For little ones, Sam’s Club has an adorable new Disney Mickey Mouse pumpkin plush. Far from scary, this 12-inch-tall Mickey-themed plush features two mini pumpkin ears, a green stem and a huge, friendly smile.
While it’s safe for ages 3 and up, this cuddly orange plush looks just as great on an office desk or dorm room bed as it does on a child’s bed.
Find it at Sam’s Club for $18.
9-piece light-up Disney Halloween village
Sam’s Club
Disney fans will love this nine-piece Halloween village, available at Sam’s Club. The centerpiece of the set is a haunted house with a Mickey Mouse-shaped pumpkin on top. Other set pieces include a spooky light-up tree, entrance gate and a selection of Disney characters (including Donald Duck pulling a pumpkin chariot with Daisy Duck riding in it).
The set includes 5 AA batteries to power the set’s 22 LED lights. The lights are on a 6 hours on / 18 hours off timer.
Member’s Mark pre-lit metal jack-o’-lantern set
Sam’s Club
Add some Halloween ambiance with this set of three pre-lit metal jack-o’-lanterns. Each comes with a AA battery-operated LED candle that gives off a flickering glow without the fire risk of real candles. (Six AA batteries are included.)
Verified reviewers rave that these jack-o’-lanterns have the same look as decorations from higher-end stores but at a low Sam’s Club price. “These were perfect dupes and super affordable,” says one.
We like that these jack-o’-lanterns have a 6 hours on / 18 hours off automatic timer, so you don’t need to hassle with flicking switches daily. We also like that these light-up pumpkins are nestable for easy display or storage.
Find the set of three at Sam’s Club for just $40 in August.
Join Sam’s Club for $25 in August
Not a Sam’s Club member yet? Great news: Sam’s Club is offering an August membership deal right now. New members can join at the Club level for just $25 for your first year. That’s a savings of 50% off the usual $50 yearly membership fee. (Note that you’ll need to be a new Sam’s Club member, and you’ll need to agree to auto-renew.)
This is a limited-time offer, ending October 31, 2024. So tap the button below to sign up for Sam’s Club now at the discounted $25 rate.
Why you should upgrade to Sam’s Club Plus
There are a lot of perks to a Sam’s Club membership, but there are even more when you upgrade to Sam’s Club Plus. You’ll get free shipping for online orders, free curbside pickup, 2% back on qualifying purchases (up to $500 back per year), free select generic prescriptions and 20% off eyeglasses. Sam’s Club Plus members can also shop sales before other Sam’s Club members. Terms apply. (See the Sam’s Club site for more details.)
The wholesale club also has a deal for anyone who wants to become a Sam’s Club Plus Member. Right now, you can get $40 off a Sam’s Club Plus membership. That brings the annual price down to $70.
Again, note that you’ll need to be a new member and agree to auto-renew to score this deal.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
The Biden administration is beginning to retaliate against China for its sweeping hack of U.S. telecommunications companies earlier this year.
Last week the Commerce Department issued a notice to China Telecom Americas, the U.S. subsidiary of one of China’s largest communications firms, alleging in a preliminary finding that its presence in American telecom networks and cloud services poses a national security risk. The company has 30 days to respond, although the Commerce Department has not said what action it plans to take next.
The New York Times was the first to report the action, which is a direct response to China’s infiltration of telecom networks earlier this year. The China-backed hacking group known as Salt Typhoon penetrated the networks of numerous companies including Verizon, AT&T and Lumen Technologies, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told to CBS News in October.
It’s unclear what the impact on China Telecom would be, since the FCC has already limited China Telecom Americas’ ability to operate in U.S. communications infrastructure. In October 2021, the FCC revoked its license to provide phone services in the US.
The FCC found that China Telecom “is subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese government and is highly likely to be forced to comply with Chinese government requests without sufficient legal procedures subject to independent judicial oversight.”
China Telecom Americas has not responded to requests for comment.
U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials are continuing to try to learn more about the scope of the hack, which targeted U.S. surveillance capabilities used for operations including wiretaps. U.S. intelligence officials routinely seek court authorization to use telecom systems like those targeted in the breach to collect information for law enforcement or national security probes.
One fear is that the cyberattacks could have allowed the hackers to access information about ongoing U.S. investigations — including those tied to China — through the collection of sensitive data and techniques.
China’s incursions into U.S. critical infrastructure — including water treatment plants and the electrical grid — have lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the incoming Trump administration warning of a more aggressive retaliatory posture going forward.
Rep. Mike Waltz, designated by President-elect Trump to be national security adviser, told Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” Sunday, “We need to start going on offense and start imposing, I think, higher costs and consequences to private actors and nation state actors that continue to steal our data, that continue to spy on us.”
Last month, Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut and the ranking on the House Intelligence Committee, issued a similar warning.
“We’re not just going to name and shame,” he said on “Face the Nation.” “We are going to go into their networks and give as good as we got.”
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.