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Old 04-27-2018, 03:58 AM   #21
chuckster57
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Allstays app will let you search for WM stores that allow/prohibit overnight parking. I personally don’t use WM or rest stops.
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Old 04-27-2018, 04:56 AM   #22
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Walmart will do anything to generate income. That's why their stores are open 24 hours. They already had crews there restocking all night. Add a couple more people and viola', more revenue. Same with allowing Rv's overnight. More potential revenue and good will for little or no cost.

That all said, the Walmarts that are not RV friendly may be due to city ordinances rather than Walmart desires. The cities have the ultimate final say.
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Old 04-27-2018, 05:50 AM   #23
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Have never stayed at a Walmart with our RV but have talked to people that have. In Canada the difference whether or not the particular store allows RVs is if Walmart owns or leases the land the store is built on. Also city/town ordinances play a part in this as Walmart or any other stores have no control to allow overnight parking.
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Old 04-27-2018, 07:16 AM   #24
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We have stayed in a Walmart lot only once; in Joliet, IL. When we parked, we were the only rig there. When we left the next morning, there were at least 50 semis around us. No other RVs. Recently there was a gun fight in the local Walmart lot, one killed and several injured. I know they all are not like that but we don't like taking that chance.
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Old 04-27-2018, 07:38 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
I'm a little late to this conversation and will have those that vehemently object to my post.

I think it's an imposition on any business for anyone using an RV to think they can just pull in, park, take up space on private property and think it's OK. That, to me, is silly. I wouldn't dream of pulling into a farmer's field and just setting up because it was "clear" land. Same on my property....things are going to go sideways very quickly. Walmart is the same.

RV owners should (hopefully) understand the costs that come with the lifestyle; finding a place to put them every night when traveling - not a "free" spot you can find in some person's open spot. If you can't pay for the hobby, don't play. I've seen some very "stressing" situations with RVs parked in public parking lots....they all embarrass me to be one of "those people".

Let the fun begin....
I agree with this 100%! But there will be those that "park" at Wal-Mart & to me that's the key word "park" not "camp". Seen those wth their slides out unhooked with awnings deployed sitting in their lawn chairs grilling lunch & that's just flat out WRONG. If you drive late, leave early that's one thing, but spending all day there??? If your too cheap to pay for park/campground don't buy the rv.
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Old 04-27-2018, 07:52 AM   #26
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I've been watching this couple's YouTube videos on RV life. Here they give some tips on spending the night in a Walmart parking lot.
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Old 04-27-2018, 10:50 AM   #27
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From the WalMart website: https://corporate.walmart.com/freque...stions#Park_RV

Can I park my RV at a Walmart store?
While we do not offer electrical service or accommodations typically necessary for RV customers, Walmart values RV travelers and considers them among our best customers. Consequently, we do permit RV parking on our store parking lots as we are able. Permission to park is extended by individual store managers, based on availability of parking space and local laws. Please contact management in each store to ensure accommodations before parking your RV.



So, WalMart's corporate policy has given individual store managers the permission to allow RV parking on property owned by the corporation. Not to start a "war of words" but WalMart, Sam's Club, K-Mart all have allowed overnight parking in their "unused pavement" as have Pilot, Flying J, Travel Centers of America and Oasis truck stops.

There are some locations that do not allow overnight parking, usually because of local ordinances imposed by city or county governments. In those areas, you can get a ticket or be forced to move by local police, which is just one more reason to "get permission from the store manager" before parking for the night.

Common courtesy is to remain "inconspicuous" by not using awnings, extending slides, no lawn furniture, no grills, etc. Most require the tow vehicle to remain connected to the trailer so it can be moved is needed. So, if you do choose to become a "WalMart camper", please follow their manager's rules for his parking lot.
Thanks John. My original comment saying I didn't think WM endorsed the "overnite" parking was a little off looks like.

That said, I think your comment about the courteous things one should do are spot on and the examples I have in my mind are of people that don't do that; multiple Class As parked side by side, awnings, slides and levelers down; lawn chairs out and bbq pits fired up while having some cold ones - at 4:30-5 in the afternoon. We had one in our local WM parking lot that literally set his rig up, disconnected the toad, unloaded some bicycles and stayed there for many days while the kids used the parking lot for a playground. I could go on and on.

The video posted previously brings up another thing. Why would you want to drive, towing your RV, until you can't stay awake - through the middle of the night? Not only is that dangerous, to me it defeats the purpose of travel and seeing new places. If the urgency is to get to point B due to an emergency that's one thing. If it's just the normal course of travel every day you need to plan better IMO. And to sit in a private parking lot until 10:30 or 11 am?? As far as the portion about rest areas not allowing overnite stays; the folks in the video blamed the rules for placing them in danger for having to drive when they were sleepy.....what? It is the driver that is responsible for making sure he has made arrangements so that situation doesn't arise IMO. Not to start a commentary on the video because it had some good points; I just thought that portion was off the mark.

With the explosion of RVs and folks traveling with them I think it's only time before the WM position will change and RVs will not be allowed simply due to over use and a lack of courtesy. To me that's a shame because there are some legitimate reasons to make an emergency overnite stay in places like that but it should be the rare exception, not a part of your standard planning for a trip. I'm off the soapbox. My thoughts and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee.....somewhere I hope
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Old 04-27-2018, 11:22 AM   #28
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Danny,

I completely agree with you that NOBODY should be setting up a campsite in a commercial parking lot !!! That's not only rude, it's taking advantage of a very generous offer by some merchants that, if abused, will result in all of us losing the ability to sleep for a few hours if/when the need arises. So, yes, it's a program sponsored by WalMart corporate headquarters, managed by the individual stores and, for the most part, used by appreciate customers. There's always the exception, the "JERK" who uses it for much more than he should and who gives us all a bad name. But, life is like that in almost all categories. There seems to always be that "one guy who's in it for himself, screw the rest".....

Now, an example of why/how using a WalMart parking lot is advantageous. Let's assume you want to camp for a week in a state park that's 400 miles from home. The park doesn't take reservations, it's a "first come/first served" type of campground. Checkout time is 11 AM and most people leave on Sunday so they can get home for work on Monday. So, you want to stay a week and it's too far to drive to be there in time to get a site as the current campers leave at 11AM. There's no other campgrounds within 100 miles that you can go to "set up for one night"... One alternative, so you're "on site at the destination at 1030AM is to go "almost there the evening before, catch some sleep at WalMart's lot for a few hours and leave around 7 or 8 AM to drive that last 100 miles, so you're at the campground as people are leaving. If you tried to leave from home, you'd have to leave at 10PM and drive all night, (not a good option) and if you left home the afternoon before and parked on the side of the road outside the campground, you'd be "squatting on the highway"....

What's a family to do? WalMart provides a solution by offering their parking lot as a solution. Provides good will, alternatives and they get increased profits in return. A win/win....

That's just one example (I know people who do it this way) and I'm sure there's other reasons for other people to take advantage of WalMart's hospitality.
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Old 04-27-2018, 11:47 AM   #29
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John,

I think your example is a legitimate one. If there is no RV park close then it makes sense. I'm sure there are other scenarios like that as well. And, you know, I've seen RVs in Walmart parking lots that you almost don't notice. They come in about dark. Park out of the way. No noise. Almost like they're not even there. Next day they're gone. I think that's the way it should be done - you don't even think about those folks.

Unfortunately, the numbers are growing constantly along with those that lack courtesy and many have gone from "parking" overnite to "camping" in the parking lot. I think it is very nice of WM to give RVrs that option and it could be a great benefit to someone in a situation like you describe above. I just personally don't think a person should abuse that privilege by making WM lots part of their every day traveling plan. As I said, with the explosive growth of RVs, and if everyone jumps on the bandwagon of pulling into a WM parking lot, it will become unmanageable for WM and the privilege will be withdrawn.
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Old 04-27-2018, 12:02 PM   #30
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People ruining the benefit is my concern as well. I think it is extremely generous for WalMart to offer the opportunity to people who are travelling. We have only stayed in a WalMart lot one night. We were running behind schedule because of bad weather, it was impossible to make the campground where we had reservations and all the campgrounds within driving distance were either closed or full. We were faced with the option of driving all night, parking in an interstate rest area or at a WalMart. We chose the WalMart, arrived about 830 at night, obtained permission, bought some fried chicken, potato salad and a loaf of French bread, walked the dog, ate, crawled in bed and were gone by 6 the next morning. I suppose we could have managed to drive all night, but where would we have slept the next morning when it was too hot to sleep in the trailer and still didn't have a campsite? So, I suppose I'm "guilty" of taking advantage of WalMart's hospitality, but we sure did appreciate the ability to get some sleep after fighting the rain and thunderstorms all day and being stranded without an possibility to get to our next reservation.

I might add that experience is why we don't make reservations while enroute. We lost 2 days of reservations at a very expensive campground (the only one that was open in that area) and they refused the refund even though we called as soon as we knew we weren't going to make it because of weather problems. $89 per night and no refunds because we didn't cancel 72 hours before arrival. It didn't start raining until 24 hours before arrival, so...... Lesson Learned !!!
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Old 04-27-2018, 03:09 PM   #31
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I would have done the same thing in your predicament. That, to me, is when the ability to use a WM parking lot would be invaluable. I won't drive all night nor stop on the side of the road.

Faced with what you were on the reservation situation, I might rethink my strategy of always planning out my route and having reservations along the way. Having a set route with preselected stops is somewhat "stiff" and seemingly doesn't give one much flexibility. In reality though, we change stuff enroute quite often. RV parks either let us reschedule or cancel. We did stay at a fancy location once that did have a big paragraph about cancellation policies, lengthy cancellation notice and loss of payments; but we made it into that one OK. The peace of mind it gives us to know when we are going to arrive, that we have a place waiting, where it is etc. puts us at ease and lets us plan the evening there beforehand. We spent enough nights in our younger years driving until you couldn't stay awake, spend 1-2 hours looking for a motel to only find a rat infested dump or nothing and then sleep in the car. My interest in that kind of "excitement" is totally gone. Plus, knowing where I'll be gives me a chance to do one of my favorite things; review all the nearby restaurants and then EAT at one of them like Jan's River Restaurant in Shreveport near the KOA! Fish is very good BUT the bean soup....wow, the bean soup. They give you a small cup of it with the meal. When I tasted it I told the server to forget my meal and bring me a large porridge bowl full of the beans with fresh bread!! I was joking but it was sure good... Sorry for the distraction...but I will go back.
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Old 04-28-2018, 07:42 AM   #32
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I’ve periodically stayed overnight at Walmart with no issues. During the day I’ll estimate how far I can get that day and while on the road I find Walmart’s in the area I want to stop for the night and call ahead to inquire whether they allow overnight, if so, when they want me gone and other requirements etc. they’ve always been pleasant. I’ve never been turned away.

Once there, I find a spot along the edge, that appears to be safe, relatively level and away from areas that shoppers would park first.

Since it’s usually pretty late when I pull in and fairly early when I leave I’ve never asked about staying all day or a 2nd night, grilling, chairs etc.
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Old 04-28-2018, 12:46 PM   #33
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If I NEED WM I might use it. If we are behind schedule (to a reservation at a camp site/park) due to weather or traffic (accident/construction) then I would consider the WM only after permission and a plan to stay out of the way.
But I certainly would not build a campfire on the asphalt parking lot like some folks supposedly did and that store manager was forced to cancel future overnight RV stays.
Some people.......
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Old 04-28-2018, 04:40 PM   #34
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I have never stayed the night at Wal-Mart . I plane my route for casino camping or moose and elks club , truck stops are my last choice. I my start looking to walmarts FOR A stop oover.
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Old 05-03-2018, 04:21 AM   #35
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So that's why I see so many folks in the outer parking lot at my local Wally's- House.
Makes sense now. Shop and Sleep.😎
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Old 06-18-2018, 06:41 AM   #36
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Has anyone stayed at a rest area? It looks like most rest areas in Texas and New Mexico allow 8 hours. I've thought about having a rest area as a backup plan as I head to Colorado next month.
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Old 06-18-2018, 07:05 AM   #37
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Has anyone stayed at a rest area? It looks like most rest areas in Texas and New Mexico allow 8 hours. I've thought about having a rest area as a backup plan as I head to Colorado next month.
Yep, lots of good spots all over if you need to overnight when out on the road. Also - No one is watching your time spent at a Texas rest area unless you make a spectacle of being there.
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Old 06-18-2018, 09:11 AM   #38
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The only lot I wouldn't stay in is the Walmart in Whitehorse, YT. It is a major zoo, huge land yachts parked every which way. The lot is packed by early afternoon.
Kjohn, funny you should mention Whitehorse. We didn’t camp there, but shopped there. The stench was terrible. Looked like there were some long term campers who were dumping waste into the storm drains around the perimeter of the parking lot. We made one visit to Walmart, then shopped at Canadian Tire the rest of the week.
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Old 06-18-2018, 10:29 AM   #39
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[QUOTE=Cbrez;292198 We made one visit to Walmart, then shopped at Canadian Tire the rest of the week.[/QUOTE]

Steve hope what you bought was on sale. There is a saying up here about Canadian Tire. If it's not on sale this week it will the next. They also honour last week's sale price.
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Old 06-18-2018, 10:47 AM   #40
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Steve hope what you bought was on sale. There is a saying up here about Canadian Tire. If it's not on sale this week it will the next. They also honour last week's sale price.
Joe, Amen brother. Went to Canadian Tire in St John NB yesterday. Wanted to pick up a spare sediment cartridge for my water filter. $28 CAN. I’ll wait until we get home unless we run into some bad water - or they put it on sale.
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