1st Walmart Overnite

[Marsha/CA]

Tim and I have now started coming back west along the TranCanada Highway in CAnada and are in Parry Sound at the moment.  We couldn't find anyplace to camp last night as all the campgrounds were full.  Several places suggested we stay at Walmart because the next city was a good distance drive.  So.....we bit the bullet and stay in Walmart's parking lot.  There were about 3 other big rigs and 4 5th wheels/trailers here so we felt comfortable and safe. 

Now, no offense to those of you who like to stay at Walmart; but Tim and I would rather be in a campground and prefer to avoid Walmarts.  However, this one worked out well.  We met another couple from the States and shared information.  We bought things we needed at Walmart, so felt we did our part.  We were prepared to keep the slide in and not put down the jacks; but others had their out, so we did too.

We are off this morning to Espanola near the Killarney Provincial Park.  Apparently it's beautiful.  WE have reservations at a small campground with only 20 amp service.  We've also learned a lesson, make reservations on weekends and check to make sure we know when their holidays are as their campgrounds fill up fast.

Another bit of information.  We were completely surprised at the amount of heavy traffic in and around Toronoto.  It was bumper to bumper...looked just like Interstate 5 between LA and San Diego.

Marsha~

[Wendy]

We prefer boondocking away from pavement and roads but an overnighter at a Wal-Mart can come in mighty handy sometimes.

p.s. Didn't know you guys had gone so far east ! Sounds like you're enjoying yourselves.

[rhmahoney]

I came through Toronto westbound about 5 yrs ago on a Sat eve. Yipes! That much traffic gives me hives. The locals didn't seem to know that it was the weekend.

[Marsha/CA]

Russ, we were amazed at the Toronto traffic.  We thought we would have no trouble as we too went through on a Saturday; but it was mid-day!

Wendy-we went back to see family in both Indiana and Ohio.  WE seem to keep making that trip...<g>  Remy is getting very good at "RVing".

Marsha~

[Jim Dick]

Hi Marsha,

We have stayed at a few WalMarts. I prefer a campground but when I only need a few hours sleep a WalMart can be the answer. I don't condone "camping" at Walmart. The biggest problem I have seen is shopping carts. They can come out of nowhere!!! 

[Marsha/CA]

Now shopping carts coming out of no where I had not thought of.  I'll have to keep that in mind when we do it again.  I should have thought of that as one hit my big truck right after I bought it in 93.  We parked way out of the way to avoid a cart and as you say......one came out of no where....

I was surprised at Tim (husband).  He said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.  It made us feel better that other campers were there.  I think we would have been more leary if we were the only ones.

Marsha~

[Betty Brewer]

We have stayed at a few WalMarts.  The biggest problem I have seen is shopping carts. They can come out of nowhere!!! 

Jim and Marsha ,
Forgive me if you have heard this  story before but  for others...The one and only Wal Mart stay we made was someplace in Wyoming.  I purchased LOTS of stuff as the motorhome was pretty new and I needed things.  To "Make up" for free camping I thought I should do something, so I walked all over their huge parking lot gathering up loose shopping carts.  When the guy  came out to do it, he was surprised and pleased.   I got exercise, he got a break from cart gathering.  A win.  For me, Wal-Mart  stop overs are a very expensive deal!

Betty

[Jim Dick]

Betty,

I'm sure he was very pleased that you had taken care of the carts. Less for him to do. It also kept them away from your new coach.

Yes, Walmarts can be expensive BUT usually the stuff you buy is needed. You would spend the money elsewhere if you weren't parked at Walmart. Pat likes the Supercenters because she can buy food which we always need.

[Ken & Sheila]

Jim,

Hard to believe, but we've only stayed at Walmart twice. I as going to say once, but I think we (you & Pat, us and and a few other RV Formers stayed at one at the end of the Des Moines FMCA rally. The other time was a whole 20 miles from home so we could beat some traffic and make a 7am Cummins appt on the way to a small Forum Rally at Deadhorse State Park (AZ).

But then in Alaska we did Kmart (Anchorage), Juneau Mall, and Fred Myers (Ketchican). As you know mostly on the road we do Truckstops, although in Alaska we did some "roadsides".

None of the above were for anything more than overnight except Juneau and Ketchican. Both places I had permission to stay a few days BEFORE I arrived. The Mall lot in Juneau was large and no problem (Good Sam had a booth and controlled RV parking). The Fred Meyers lot in Ketchican much was smaller. After arriving and finding a place at the end of a row of cars (and nicely facing the water), I went in the store and talked to th manager. He assured me that because the campground had such limited space for large rigs, that we were welcome to stay. If it were not for these to places we could not have taken the MH&car on the ferry trip south because I could not get CG reservations for a 36 ft rig at either city.

NOTE: I do not use Truckstops in large urban areas and I have have stopped at a few and driven on because Sheila or I wasn't comfortable.

ken

[Wendy]

I'm more comfortable at Wal-Marts and find them more quiet than truck stops even though we use them for basically the same thing...an overnight stop.

[woodartist]

Well, we prefer the truck stops over Wal-Mart..in general. Noise doesn't bother us or the dogs and we feel more secure. However it is nice to get a roasted chicken dinner at Wal Mart:) There are some really nice truck stops that are not stereotypical. Don't care for the seedy ones

[Shayne]

Woody  thats what we had for dinner tonite from
Sam's Club.   HMMMM HMMM Good.   Hate to go there cause almost always buy one.

[Jim Dick]

Hi Ken,

Yes, I remember that Walmart but it was Ames. Hotter than Hades. We've probably only stayed at Walmart a half dozen times. Always call the Manager ahead of time to be sure they allow parking and then go in and let them know we are there. Have never been refused yet but there are some that can't allow it. If it's a Supercenter then we spend quite a bit for groceries.

[Jim Dick]

Well, we prefer the truck stops over Wal-Mart..in general. Noise doesn't bother us or the dogs and we feel more secure. However it is nice to get a roasted chicken dinner at Wal Mart:) There are some really nice truck stops that are not stereotypical. Don't care for the seedy ones

One must be very careful in truck stops. Some truckers have been known to take off your mirrors as they pull out. They don't like RVs taking up their spots. It's best to ask at the fuel desk if it's safe. If we ever stay at a truck stop it will be a Flying J. They have an area for RVs and the newer ones have pull throughs.

[Ken & Sheila]

Jim,

Yes it was Ames. My good friend Larry who lives in Ames would not forgive me for not remembering correctly. But I also made a second mistake, the store we stayed at in Ketchican was a Carr's not Fred Meyers.

And your very right about being careful at Truckstops. Just after we a our Windsor repaired, including a new Drivers side mirror we stopped at a Truckstop in Santa Nella and the trucker next to us pulled out a scraped the mirror housing. I believe it was deliberate. But in all our many nights at truckstops. that is the only problem we have had. Again as I said before we are selective at which truckstops we stay at and Flying J is a the top of the list. We have found many other really nice truckstops to overnight at, but no other "brand" like Flying J.

My cats really liked the FJ in San Antonio, TX. We were instructed to park on the far side of the restaurant parking lot. It was right near the on ramp to the freeway and a tree with lots of birds. Obviously the cats like to watch birds, but mine also like to watch trucks at night with all the lights.

ken

[woodartist]

Flying J's are starting to prohibit RV's from parking over night. We have never had problems at truck stops and prefer them over the Flying J's anyway........less Rv's:)
Date Posted: August 18, 2006, 09:56:56 PMFlying J's are starting to prohibit RV's from parking over night. We have never had problems at truck stops and prefer them over the Flying J's anyway........less Rv's:)

[cheryl]

I think is a place to mention this.  First off, I think an overnite at a Walmart once in awhile is ok.  We have done it a couple of times on a long day traveling to another location for a stay.  Putting out the slide and jacks, well I guess when in Rome...... BUT while we were in Cody, WY the Walmart should have been named Walmart RV Park.  We stayed right outside of Cody for a week and went into Cody 5 of the seven days.  Each time (in the middle of the day) we would count 11 to 12 units, several we saw day after day.
There are many RV parks in Cody and around so I think this would rate as abuse of a good thing in case you need one for a night out on the road with no parks around or just passing through.  Just my thoughts!
Cheryl

[woodartist]

Well Cheryl, it is like so many things where a few ruin it for the rest of us. I've seen the RV'ers put their slides out, fire up the outside stove, spread out the lawn chairs, etc. No attempt to be discreet. Same thing with casino lots........oddly the worst offenders seem to be the folks who could afford a campground

[aka Porky]

I snapped this pic in the Sam's Club parking lot in Anchorage, Alaska in July of this year.  They stayed there two days.  The curtains stayed closed and the generator ran the whole time.  How do I know this?  I sat there too.
lou

[NCBounder]

Our first time in a Walmart on the way to New Mexico last year.  It was our second night out after spending nearly $30 dollars on the honor system at a campground that we got to at 11:00 PM and left at 6:30 AM.. still no one in the office.

Anyway that night was the first time I discovered what hours the parking lot sweepers work!  I think he started about 3:00AM and finished an hour later.  I could have sworn he spent the entire time circling our coach.  I think thats the only time since we've had that happen.  I think they are great for a quick overnite stop.

[Smoky]

Anyone who knows us knows we LOVE staying in Walmarts. 

Never had a problem there and better security than most campgrounds.  We only use them when we are in transit on long haul trips, but we greatly enjoy them.  In fact my icon on these messages is currently the Larmie WalMart with a rainbow over their sign.  Laramie has one of the most scenic views among all the WMs.

When we were in Cody we stayed at the KOA, but I was quite envious of the WalMart RVers.  They had an excellent location right next to the rodeo and a short drive to the museum.  That is one of the most RV friendly WMs anywhere. They even have big signs up instructing RVers where to take their trash.

No one should feel bad about putting slides out if they park at the back of the lot.  Every seasoned WM RVer does this.  We like to pick a spot that has a grass lot on one side.  Then we put out the slides on the grass side of the coach.  Interferes with no one.  Would be impossible to navigate through our bedroom without at least one side out.  If you can't get a spot by the grass, and you are sure the size of the parking lot is such that it never fills up, then park vertically across a series of parking spaces.  Never ever block a driveway.  We advise against putting out awnings, chairs, etc because that is just begging for trouble and is camping in the real sense of the word.

The bigest hazzard at WM is errant carts flying through the neighborhood.

We make a point during each stay to go around with a trash bag and pick up trash.  We then, like Betty always go around and gather up carts.

We were once chewed out for this being told we were taking jobs away from employees.  How silly can you get?  Does this mean everyone should leave trash and carts all over the lots to insure that WM has plenty of jobs to offer?  LOL!     I can assure you the employees and managers are thankful when we do our part and it gives RVers a good name.  If everyone did that it would help a lot and it only takes a few minutes and is good exercise.

[John From Detroit]

Well, when we went out west last Jan we were in a hurry so we traveled on the Flying J plan, which meant I had to deal with winey women cause wife wanted to put out slides and such (I am flexable but as tight as they park rigs in a Flying-J I did not want slides knocked off by a passing seim which was not supposed to be in the RV lot to begin with)

But it worked out fairly well.

Coming back we paid for campgrounds since there was less hurry,   this year it will likely be a mixed lot.  Longest I've stayed in a Wall-mart lot is a few hours (Actually wife stayed in the lot,,, I dropped and headed to a nearby business where the RV would not fit well, actually it would fit on the lot (They have several simular size rigs there) but I don't care for the traffic there with the RV so I parked and drove the towed)  I don't like Wal-Mart for other reasons.

As for taking up employee parking... Many stores request emp;loyees park "Out around the edges" of the lot, in the less desierable parking places.  It fits 100% with the Wal-Mart management style to demand (not request but demand) this of their employees.  (This has to do with why I don't like Wall-mart) and, of course, as a courtisy to the customers and, thus to management, this is where I'm going to want to park my big rig, out along the edge, where nobody else is parked, so I'm not taking up prime parking

So, perhaps you were parked in the employee section of the lot

[Smoky]

I think you missed my point John.  I was talking about someone who said if we played good Sam and picked up trash around the parking lot and returned carts that other people had left abandoned, then we would be taking away JOBS, not parking spaces.

[Jim Dick]

We were once chewed out for this being told we were taking jobs away from employees.  How silly can you get?  Does this mean everyone should leave trash and carts all over the lots to insure that WM has plenty of jobs to offer?  LOL!     I can assure you the employees and managers are thankful when we do our part and it gives RVers a good name.  If everyone did that it would help a lot and it only takes a few minutes and is good exercise.

The next time someone tries that just tell them that picking up carts that lazy shoppers couldn't return is not their primary job. They have other duties but when most of the carts are left in the parking lot someone has to bring them back.

[Wendy]

Have you ever seen a WalMart that didn't have a "Help Wanted" sign up? How can you be taking jobs away from people at WalMart if they can't find enough people to fill the jobs they have? Same goes for grocery stores....not a one in our area that doesn't have a "Help Wanted" sign.

[Smoky]

LOL Wendy.  True!  I will point that out the next time I am accosted by another "save jobs" weirdo. 

Though likely that was a once in a lifetime incident. 

My answer to them was to ask them if they then thought everyone should just leave their trash all over the parking lot.   

[BigEdW]

Just as a quick note, I worked at both a Sears and a Penny's during my college years, and both demanded, not requested, that we employees park at the far ends of the lot as a courtesy to the customers. It was mall policy, not the individual stores. I even know of one case where an employee's car was towed because he consistantly parked closer in.

[woodartist]

Might be hard to understand, but there are people out there who do work for a living and at a low pay. Maybe they lose a few overtime hours because of someone, who has a ton of money, is trying to innocently take them away. There is a real world out there? Heck, WM isn't even union.

[Jim Dick]

Just as a quick note, I worked at both a Sears and a Penny's during my college years, and both demanded, not requested, that we employees park at the far ends of the lot as a courtesy to the customers. It was mall policy, not the individual stores. I even know of one case where an employee's car was towed because he consistantly parked closer in.

m
Big Ed,

At a Mall in CT there are parking spots marked in white a quite a few marked in yellow. I believe the yellow are for Mall employees. Always the furthest from the entrance.  Never see many parked there but it's great when we take the motorhome on a run. We have lots of room to park out of the way!

[aka Porky]

I have been a vendor representative, with products in all the Big Box and Home Improvement stores, for the past five years. 

It is standard practice, whether in a shopping center or stand alone environment, to demand that all employees and service vendors park in remote areas of available parking.  As Jim said, they usually paint a line or use a different color paint to mark these areas.

I have heard many a store/center manager remind their folks that this was a condition of employment.

I can also tell you, although they may not always enforce it, that it is Lowe's and HD's corporate policy to NOT allow overnight RV parking.  They will generally defer to the Shopping Center policy when located in that environment.

[Wendy]

Onaquest, We are also vendors for a variety of companies at the box stores including HD, Lowes, WM, Best Buy, grocery stores and others. We are periodically sent emails reminding us that we are NOT to take prime parking spaces but are to park in the employee areas or in the 'back 40.' Personally, I prefer parking at the back of the lot and getting some exercise.

Didn't know about the corporate policy for HD and Lowe's re RV parking. We have spent more than one night at HD and actually prefer it to WalMart....quieter. Those in our area aren't in any shopping center so I guess their rules apply but no one has ever chased us away.

[aka Porky]

Wendy, I must admit, I've never seen it in writing either.  Being an RV'er myself, I've asked store managers from each chain and received the same answer,  "not my call, it's company policy".

I even visited the Lowe's in Anchorage, in need of a parking place, and asked the on-duty mgr.  I even (shame on me) left the impression that I was a direct Lowe's employee, and got the same answer.  No can do....

BTW - the WM in Anchorage (actually the Shopping Center) has a roving security guard informing RVs to move on if they appear ready to squat.  He sends them to Fred Meyers.  I went across the street to Sam's Club and joined the other 36 RVs there.

[PA]

We are on a 7 month holiday from Australia traveling in an RV around the US and Canada.  We've been here 3 months already and have camped in RV parks for 6 nights total.  The rest of time has  been Wal Marts or roadside parks.  We haven't had any problems with Wal Marts or road side parks for that matter.  A couple of times they've had signs posted saying no RV parking so we've gone in and asked.  In one case they said don't worry about the sign, you're welcome to stay and the other manager said the council put the sign up, they didn't want it but that we could park across the road in the Staples car park, which we did.  We always make a point of shopping in the Wal Marts rather than anywhere else because we can stay there and we always pick an out of the way spot away from everything.  We would certainly recommend them.

[gypsymom]

Betty,

Yes, Walmarts can be expensive BUT usually the stuff you buy is needed. You would spend the money elsewhere if you weren't parked at Walmart. Pat likes the Supercenters because she can buy food which we always need.

Hi, I am new here and am still in the planning stage.  I just found this post odd as I have never heard anyone accuse Walmart of being expensive.  But, I'm from Kansas and here in Kansas Walmart is the cheap place to shop - most snub their nose to it as they would never be seen shopping at Walmart.  So I was wondering - is Walmart not the same everywhere?

Being from Kansas and barely being outside of Kansas I am sure I am going to have my eyes open to many new things.  My first destination trip is going to be to Manhattan.  I am excited about this and scared all at the same time as I will be traveling alone with children.  I do have a tazor and have used it before.  I have seen other post in other forums and have never seen anyone say they didn't feel safe in the Walmart parking lots. 

Anyway... enough rambling... how about the cost variance in different Walmart locations? 

[rsalhus]

No, WalMart's aren't expensive anywhere that I know of.  What he meant is that one tends to spend a lot of money at a WalMart when you shop there, and probably even more than you would if you weren't parked there for an overnight.  "It can get expensive" means that you can spend a lot of money there, not that things cost more there than anywhere else.

[Alaskansnowbirds]

As Rolf said. He was talking about the expense of staying at a campground vs staying at Walmart. You would spend $20 to $30 to stay in a campground. By staying at Walmart it usually cost us a lot more. My better half can't seem to get out of Walmart for less than $50.     

[Ron]

As Rolf said. He was talking about the expense of staying at a campground vs staying at Walmart. You would spend $20 to $30 to stay in a campground. By staying at Walmart it usually cost us a lot more. My better half can't seem to get out of Walmart for less than $50.     

Oh my ONLY $50 we never get out  spending only $50.  Let me know your secret Don.

[PancakeBill]

Kansas to Manhatten?  Dang.  Talk about culture shock.  There is a CG in NJ on the shore you can see Manhatten from.  Stay there, take alternate trans into the city. 

I have very little experience with Manhatten, That was about the extent of my knowledge.  Been there, didn't like te t-shirt. 

I don't remember the name of the CG, but you should be able to find it in one of the directories. 

***************

Walmart overnights.  I would do them while travling, our only experience to date was back in RI.  CG we wanted to go to was full, but would be available the next morning.  We stayed in their overflow till about 9PM, moved to Walmart and went back at 6AM for our line spot.  However, that overnite was trying.  There were some kids there about 1AM playing car alarm soccer.  Kick a goal, hit the car set off the arlarm.  reset, replay.  Couple hundred feet from us, but dang!

[gypsymom]

Ok, that all makes perfect sense to me as I am a big Walmart shopper as well.  However I will be on a budget if I am to accomplish my goals so I think I can refrain from purchasing more than I need - I hope.

And yes, I am sure it will be a huge cultural shock as this is what I am seeking.  I am bored!!!  I think my main goal is to experience as much as possible and find something that will interest my son enough for him to "want" to learn more.  For myself also.  I have reached a point where I feel dead inside and this can't be good.

Anyway... that was probably TMI so I'll just say thanks so much for the clarification.

I had read quite a bit in this forum and was planning to check out transportation by train.  I would camp outside of Manhattan far enough to take an awesome train ride but close enough to ride back the same day - assuming I can see all I want to in one day.  Still have a lot more planning to do so there is no surprises - at least not costly ones.

[geodrake]

I have never seen anything posted about overnighting in a Sam's Club lot.  Does anyone have knowledge about that?  Costco?

[ArdraF]

GypsyMom,

When you get to NYC, if you can possibly fit it into your budget I highly recommend a day-long Gray Line city tour.  It will give you a wonderful overview of the city, some of its history that you've long since forgotten, and it's a relatively safe way for you to explore a large city alone but with children in tow.  We stayed at an RV park on the New Jersey side and the tour bus picked us up there and returned us there at the end of the day.  One of the things we liked best is that we were shown, for example, where famous people currently lived.  These are things we never would have known about had we just driven or walked by on our own.  That was many years ago and we felt a city tour was such a good thing that we've since made it a habit when visiting a new city.  You learn so much more than you would on your own.

ArdraF

[RV Roamer]

Sam's, which is a Walmart company, has the same policy as Walmart. We've stayed in a few Sam's Clubs lots here and there.

Costco is another matter - largely decided locally, from what I hear.

[KodiakRV]

Sam's, which is a Walmart company, has the same policy as Walmart. We've stayed in a few Sam's Clubs lots here and there...

We haven't done either yet, but I would be more comfortable staying at a Walmart that was open all night than at Sam's Clubs which are not.

[Tom]

I would be more comfortable staying at a Walmart that was open all night than at Sam's Clubs which are not.

Just curious .... occasionally, I've found a Wal*Mart adjacent to a Sam's Club, and they shared the same parking lot. Would you feel safer on the WM end of the lot than on the Sam's end?

[Jim Dick]

Just curious .... occasionally, I've found a Wal*Mart adjacent to a Sam's Club, and they shared the same parking lot. Would you feel safer on the WM end of the lot than on the Sam's end?

Tom,

I think the key, for us, is we feel better with a 24 hour WalMart than one that closes early. Most have a security car that roams the lot all night long.  We recently stayed at one outside Savannah with Gary & Nancy and felt quite comfortable. Several other rigs were there as well.

[Wendy]

We've stayed at several Sam's Club parking lots. They tend to get a lot of deliveries late at night and early in the morning so we never felt like we were isolated or alone. Of course, it also wasn't quiet but we didn't expect it to be. I've never felt unsafe in either Sam's or Wal-Mart parking lots.

Wendy

[Tom]

Understood Jim. I was just curious about a situation where a WM was open 24 hours while the adjacent Sam's closed at night. Brought a smile to my face, and reminded me of the sleazy campground we stayed at which was the other side of a fence from a Wal*Mart parking lot. Story and photo here. The fence even had a walk-through hole in it. Was I safer one side of the fence than the other?

[aka Porky]

Tom, the very situation you described exists in South Charleston, wv.  The Sam's Club, a Sporting Goods store and a 24 hour WM share one big parking lot.  I've stopped there twice in the past three years.  Maybe it's because the sporting goods store is in the middle, and closed along with the SC, but all overnight trucks and RVs parked only in the WM third of the lot.  I did the same just so I wouldn't stand out.

[Jeff]

Tom:

There are just us Wal-marters and the rest of you.

[WilleyB]

They tend to get a lot of deliveries late at night and early in the morning so we never felt like we were isolated or alone.

Yes we find it to be the same. The WM's in Canada (the ones we know of) close at 10:30pm. As Wendy says there is staff there all night, restocking shelves I presume. The lots are still well lighted (50% lights on all night). The stores I know of are (stand alone) with their own parking lots. If there were any re supply trucks they didn't disturb us as delivery's are usually at the back or the side areas of the stores. There are WM stores that are inclusive in shopping malls and share the parking lots with the other business, but most of the stores are new and on their own in buisness parks like this.

 

[Jim Dick]

Tom,

Interesting thought. Who would be more safe?? Hard to say but you made it so I guess it was alright. I felt more uncomfortable in a Vicksburg, MS campground than I ever did in a WalMart parking lot.

[Tom]

Jim.

You know this is self-deprecating humor on my part. I catch a lot of brown stuff and ridicule from folks because of my lack of desire to stay at WM, and my distain for folks who roll out the slideouts, fake grass, chairs and BBQ in a WM parking lot, then try to convince me they're only staying for a few hours sleep on a cross-country trip.

[RV Roamer]

The whole Walmart camping business has taken on a life of its own, a cult-like thing.  Oddly, it encompasses those who passionately disapprove as well as those who love them, and all sorts between the extremes. RVers have even invented a code of conduct for Walmart camping overnighting, something that Walmart itself does not seem to think necessary.  I wish I could sit in on a discussion among Walmart execs and hear what they really think, if they indeed spend any time thinking/talking about it at all.

For myself, we will continue to use Walmarts (& Sams & Cabela's and ...) occasionally, which typically amounts to 6-8 nights a year for us. We arrive at our usual stopping time, about 4 pm) and depart in mid-morning. We look for an area of the lot where we won't interfere with regular shoppers, put the slides out if there is enough room and put the jacks down if necessary to get reasonably level. We've even been known to stay a couple nights in one spot. We suffer neither guilt nor angst but we do try to be good guests during our brief stay there,  minimizing the inconvenience to our host.  Just like we would if staying in a friend's driveway or yard.

It's not a credo - just what works for us. Others will have different perspectives and that's OK by me.

[Tom]

I see truckers parked overnight in WM lots, and they're not necessarily WM trucks. I'm never sure if they're making WM deliveries, or needed somewhere to park/sleep, or both. I'm also never sure if the drivers spend the night in the sleeper, or if they walk to a nearby motel. Any truckers or ex-truckers here who might care to share their WM/overnight perspective?

[RV Roamer]

We often see truckers parked in Walmarts (etc) when we overnight there. In most cases they stay in their trucks, as far as I can see. I have, however, seen a few where somebody picked them up in a car and off they went for an undetermined time - I assume they are not allowed to park a truck at their home and so leave the rig at a nearby Wally World.

We have even seen trucks  transfer cargo or change drivers in parking lots. Also saw a tour band onload their bus with instruments and people from several smaller vehicles late at night - presumably after a concert somewhere that had no bus parking. It said Loretta Lynn on the side of the bus.

[Tom]

Aye Gary, the entertainers have to stop and sleep somewhere. When one of the kids got married approx 20 years ago, Chris hired a pro DJ. The guy turned up early that day with a large van, and was leaving the following day for a gig in Vegas. He proceeded to unload his equipment and get set up for the evening wedding. I offered the guy a room at our house, but he said "I usually sleep in the back of the van". Didn't think of asking where he was planning to park the van. The local WM store hadn't yet opened, the scenic park across the street didn't allow overnight parking, and I doubt the winery where the wedding was held would have allowed him to stay overnight

[WilleyB]

Tom>
my distain for folks who roll out the slideouts, fake grass, chairs and BBQ in a WM parking lot, then try to convince me they're only staying for a few hours sleep on a cross-country trip.

As a person who uses parking lots exclusively while traveling, I couldn't agree more with that statement. While they may only over night, they do give the impression of setting up camp. We don't have slides nor would I want any (my preference). However I have seen big rigs with the slides out that in my opinion looked acceptable. In those cases the RV was parked parallel on a far perimeter of the lot with the slides extended only over the grassy area. Only one time that I saw a couple with chairs out (at our local WM) and it actually looked ridiculous. Enough incentive to ensure I'll never do the same.

Gary>
The whole Walmart camping business has taken on a life of its own, a cult-like thing.  Oddly, it encompasses those who passionately disapprove as well as those who love them, and all sorts between the extremes.

"Cult-like thing" yep right on the money. look at the number of web sites, forums dedicated to free Over night parking and dump sites, (pay and free types). I suppose what it all boils down to is the reasons that each of us has an RV.and the purpose it is used for. I've no doubt between the three of us there are three different reasons why we have and use our RV's,  no doubt I'm at the far end of one of those extremes. Due to DW's MS, the "motor home" is the one and only way we can travel away from our home. Could we afford it? not really but we get by OK.  The only thing useful a CG can supply for us is "elect, water and sewer" required maybe every 5 days. However fresh water and a dump stn. I have no problem finding on the traveled route. We travel to visit friends and relatives. When we get there we stay on their property during the visit. Next year it will be a toss up in a couple of cities we'll visit.  In one city in SK. although parking on the street is allowed, we will use the close by WM lot each night after the store closes and be gone before opening time each day probably 3 days. That's only one type and I'm sure there are many more types between us and the dyed in the wool camp ground follower 

Cheers
Willis

[Jim Dick]

Jim.

You know this is self-deprecating humor on my part. I catch a lot of brown stuff and ridicule from folks because of my lack of desire to stay at WM, and my distain for folks who roll out the slideouts, fake grass, chairs and BBQ in a WM parking lot, then try to convince me they're only staying for a few hours sleep on a cross-country trip.

Tom,

Sorry for the delay. Major problem with computer but it's getting back to normal.

Yes, I'm aware of the brown stuff you catch. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to use WalMarts. I agree with you on the folks that make it appear they are camping long term!

[Tom]

Glad to see you back online Jim.

[Ron]

Welcome back Jim.

[PA]

Hi, I am new here and am still in the planning stage.  I just found this post odd as I have never heard anyone accuse Walmart of being expensive.  But, I'm from Kansas and here in Kansas Walmart is the cheap place to shop - most snub their nose to it as they would never be seen shopping at Walmart.  So I was wondering - is Walmart not the same everywhere?

Being from Kansas and barely being outside of Kansas I am sure I am going to have my eyes open to many new things.  My first destination trip is going to be to Manhattan.  I am excited about this and scared all at the same time as I will be traveling alone with children.  I do have a tazor and have used it before.  I have seen other post in other forums and have never seen anyone say they didn't feel safe in the Walmart parking lots. 

Anyway... enough rambling... how about the cost variance in different Walmart locations? 

If you want to stay at Wal*Mart for visiting Manhattan the best place is Wal*Mart at 400 Park Place Secaucus NJ 07094 GPS 40.790561 - 74.044055
From here you can catch the New Jersey Bus direct into Manhattan ($3.15 each way). The Bus runs every 6 minutes Monday to Friday and on the weekend 10 to 20 minutes.

[gcharte]

We would much rather stay at a campground also but Walmart has done the trick on more than one occasion. If we could find a campground fairly close to the highway for $20.00 and just sit in the parking lot I'd love it but they all want you to park in a spot and when there we usually open the bedroom slide and nothing else.


Gary

[seilerbird]

Sam Walton was an avid RVer and he is the one responsible for the policy allowing Rvers to stay in the Walmart parking lots over night. Think about it. 5000 stores, about 6 RVs per store per night and each one spends at least $50. Millions per year. I have spent a lot of nights at a Walmart parking lot and never had a problem. I feel safer there than in a campground. Walmart security is more on the job than ANY campground host. My cell phone almost always works in a Walmart parking lot and rarely works in a campground. I don't see the problem with putting down the jacks and popping out the slides. I see that happen at almost every Walmart I have stayed at.

I can understand why certain people would not want to stay at a Walmart, but I can't understand why they would bad mouth the concept if they have never tried it. Thinking it is somehow unsafe is silly.

[Tom]

Lighten up, we're just having a little fun, and that includes folks who overnight at WM and those that don't. Heck, I even make fun of myself in that linked message. OTOH it is amusing to see how folks rationalize their behavior .

Anyone seen the movie documentary This is nowhere? Here's a short description of the movie.

[seilerbird]

I wish I could lighten up but no diet I try works. I am giving up junk food for my New Years resolution.

[Tom]

Me too 

[RV Roamer]

I've given up New Year's Resolutions. They cause too much guilt and take too much pleasure out of life (at least until January 15 or so).

[Jeff]

Simple diets work best: If it tastes good spit it out!

[carson]

Good plan, Jeff, but....

Here is my plan. (still at same weight I was at age 20 - 185 lbs, 6'1")

   Have a light breakfast. At lunch time, if you are hungry, have one can of beer.
That will get you to 3pm. Then have a dish of ice cream, to get your carbs.

  At dinner eat only what DW cooks. No problem with weight control.    *

* Mind you that only works for retired people.

   Stay under 2000 calories and you'll be fine.

carson FL 72° F.

** I will not be responsible for adverse effects on anyone.

Have a nice Year End. everyone.

[aka Porky]

Carson, are you saying that beer is not just for breakfast anymore?

[carson]

LOL Lou, I gave that up with a New Year Resolution 70 years ago.

[aka Porky]

Yeah, I'm trying to change my habits too.  My doctor told me not to drink on an empty stomach so I eat a beer for breakfast then I can drink one for lunch.

[Smoky]

Tom:

We have that movie (TV Documentary) and we LOVE it!  It is one of the funniest documentaries we have ever seen.  Next time we see you at a rally will be glad to show it to you or lend it to you.  It was produced by a Montana TV station.

Now I will admit, any non RVer seeing it will get a VERY negative view about staying at WalMarts.  But I have never seen anything like it in real life and that is what makes the documentary so funny.

I guess we have mixed emotions... it surely does not give non RVers a very good impression.  But RVers love it because it rivals the Robin Williams movie!!

BTW, when we reported this summer our misfortune about getting hit by dozens of Wal-Mart shopping carts in a storm in Terre Haute, we didn' report back on the final outcome. 

Wal-Mart came up with several thousand dollars to cover all the body work that had to be done, and also rental car money.  We were told by our insurance company that they believed Wal_Mart would not pay us a penny.  But since we did not want our insurance rates to go up, we dealt directly with Wal-Mart. 

The WM claims manager told us one of the main things that worked in our behalf was the parking lot cameras.  They watched the whole thing on tape.  They were especially impressed by seeing me get out of the coach at 2 am and run around for 45 minutes chasing hundreds of carts and preventing many potential disasters.  In fact, I was so busy chasing down carts I did not see any of the carts hitting our own vehicles because they were parked at the far back end of the lot.

I think we got better treatment on this claim than we would have gotten from most campgrounds under similar conditions.

[Tom]

Smoky,

Thanks for the report on the movie. I was hoping someone had seen it.

Glad to hear the positive outcome with WM over the shopping cart issue. Didn't realize your vehicles sustained such a high degree of damage.

[Smoky]

Tom:

Most of the damage was done to the car.  In fact I didn't file any claim on the MH.

However I learned something about body repair shops.  It appears they WAAAY overcharge.  We got three estimates and they ranged from $1400 to $2000 for some dents on the front right fender and the right door.

We got our check very quickly from WM and we were going to go to the lowest price.  Almost on a whim I stopped at Mako (spelling?) which we had overlooked when we got the estimates.  This particular shop in Surprise, AZ is run by two Mexican brothers.  The guy looked at it for less than a minute and told me he would fix it for $250.  Frankly I didn't believe him.  He did admit that they did not order new fenders like the estimate people had said, but that we would never be able to tell the result was not brand new.

Then he pointed out some scratches on the rear and front bumper panels and said they had a special going and for another $200 a piece he would fix those additional two panels.  The entire job would cost $650 including tax.  The Admiral and I struggled over this and were afraid of the "No free lunch" theory.  But a sixth sense told us these hard working Mexicans were really solid.  We also noticed how efficient the shop was behaving while we discussed it all.  The clincher was when he told us we could have the car back the next day.

We picked up what appeared to be a brand new Taurus the next afternoon.  We were astonished.  I'd recommend these people without hesitation.

[Lorna]

I wonder what they would charge to remove decals, paint and clear-coat a motor home.

[PancakeBill]

Well, I figured I might do a Wally World overnite tonight.  Stopped in Quincy, FL, parked, went in, and while walking in, a number of cars went by with loud music, (rhymes with crap), the clientele just didn't make me comfortable.  (and this after the handgun thread!, I figure I am ready, just didn't want to need it)...  So, we moved down the road a bit and booked into a FHU site.  Relaxing now, TV on, PC online, and a beer keeps calling my name.

[Smoky]

Bill:

Was this Quincy FL WM off an interstate exchange?  Most of the really good WMs we have stayed at where located near Interstate exchanges.  I have never flt uncomfortable at any of those.

However I have been uncomfortable at some WMs well off the national routes, whether they be in a city or rural.  In fact, some of them we wouldn't even be able to fit a motorcoach.  WMs are mainly useful, in my opinion, as quick stopping points on national routes when you are trying to cover great distances each day.

Lorna:

I have no idea if they do such work on motorcoaches, but if you wish, in the next couple of days, I will stop in there and ask some general questions.

[Lorna]

That would be appreciated since we won't be in AZ this winter.

[PancakeBill]

Just off of Rt 10.  Maybe 2 miles, if that. 

[Smoky]

There must be some exceptions to the Home Depot policy. 

On our way back from Colorado we stopped at a WM near the Arizona - New Mexico border.  I believe it was Grants or Gallup.  The truck traffic was extremely busy that evening, and we noticed across the street a nearly empty Home Depot.  The Admiral ran over to Home Depot, went inside, asked for the manager and he told her he would be delighted to have us as overnight guests.

[norseman]

I see truckers parked overnight in WM lots, and they're not necessarily WM trucks. I'm never sure if they're making WM deliveries, or needed somewhere to park/sleep, or both. I'm also never sure if the drivers spend the night in the sleeper, or if they walk to a nearby motel. Any truckers or ex-truckers here who might care to share their WM/overnight perspective?

Well, I am not a trucker, but I am a truck enthusiast, and am a regular over on Hank's Truck Pictures Forum, where there has been some discussion about Wal-Marts and trucks. As far as I understand, Wal-Marts, especially in the midwest and west are popular overnight spots for truckers. I've seen some Wal-Mart lots along I-80 in Nebraska, especially Sidney, Lexington and North Platte, that more or less resembled truck stops in the evenings and nights, and I do believe at least one of them actually had spots marked up for big rigs on the far side of their lot, which also happened to have its own exit, so that the trucks wouldn't interfere with the rest of the traffic. Now, I-80 has a heck of a lot of truck traffic, and truck parking in some areas there can be at a premium (even though space as such is definitely not at a premium out there), so I think it's a good thing these Wal-Marts are so truck friendly. It is also common in some areas to park trucks in Wal-Mart lots over the weekend and such, but that also depends on the store. As for overnighting, I am pretty sure most of the drivers in Wal-Mart lots stay in their sleepers.

However, Wal-Marts in other parts of the country have a no-truck policy, which can be strictly enforced, I guess it all depends on the individual store. I have even heard of a few that have put up "gates" at their entrances which are too low for big rigs to fit through. I understand the main problem is trashy truckers... As usual, a few people ruin things for everybody else. By trashy truckers I mean the kind that just throw their urine bottles (yeah, I know, not having time to stop to pee must be a bummer) and trash out the door and go on their way. I can definitely understand why this is not exactly popular. 

Jan.

[MidwayFUBAR]

I have owned a hot-shot delivery service for a little over 5 years and Wal-Mart has consistently been a God send for me.  For those that aren't familier with the term, Hot Shot Trucking is the little brother of the big rig trucking business.  We take the loads that are too small for the big boys to mess with and usually get them to destination under phenomenal time contraints.  IE, generator goes down on an oil rig and the replacement is 500 miles away, I get a call at 2am saying hook up the flatbed and be back here in less than 24 hours.

When you pull into some random town waiting for your supply warehouse to open Wal-Mart is great about having plenty of room for the truck and trailer and I've never had a bit of trouble from the employees.  Contrast that to the security guard at The Woodlands Park Mall in Woodlands, TX, "You sure are taking up a lot of spaces there".  My reply, "I'm gonna buy a lot of stuff..."    Funny thing is, I was actually there to transfer a load for one of their vendors...

Ah well...  Anyway, somebody had asked about Wal-Mart and truck drivers and I just wanted to chime in with how great I think they are too