Is WalMart moving away from RVers Welcome?

[Dutch_12078]

Looks to me as though Walmart is just returning to their core business as the big box discount store has always been the key to their success. When the economy is slow most large companies tend to draw back to what built their success originally.

 

Oh absolutely! They gave the "Express" concept a shot and weren't satisfied with the results. Out it goes...

 

The Walmart in Haines City Florida off Rt 27 had the biggest "No overnight parking allowed " sign I ever saw. It also has a vey large parking lot.Rt 27 is a busy tourist

route and the wal mart is within a few miles of the attractions. I have no idea why they do not allow overnight parking since abuse of the privileged is non existent. Being curious we did ask the on duty manager. Since abuse is non existent we will not talk about the reply.

 

It's quite common for Walmart and other big box stores in popular destination areas to not allow overnight RV parking.

[2gypsies]

Along with the news of WalMart closings, they are building two new Express ones in Tucson.

[sandsys]

If you look around, they usually have a rear entrance that has no such barrier because the semi that delivers store inventory needs to get into the lot. What most are actually trying to prevent is the overnight truck parking which brings in very little revenue, while RV folks usually do.

I have read that sometimes it's because the front lot is not built to handle the heavier vehicles.

 

Linda Sand

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

I have read that sometimes it's because the front lot is not built to handle the heavier vehicles.

 

Linda Sand

Mostly it's because they don't want semi's clogging the parking lot.

[richfaa]

There are more folks traveling now that the economy has improved over the last few years. Here around Disneyworld and the other attractions it is jammed. Campgrounds are expensive and usually full. Folks will look for most anyplace to park the RV for a few days if visiting the attractions and many of them do not know the rules or disregard them. We see more "no overnight parking" signs every year.

 

Wal marts and other big box stores are jammed most all the time around here and I really don't think the RV income is significant to them any more.

 

We have a Publix nearby and we do see of Rv's parked in the lot all the time and the folks inside stocking up. The store is on the very busy Rt 27.

 

We were just there and looked closely. The Publix is the anchor store in a small strip mall with a very large parking lot. We see no signage denying

overnight parking. There is a large sign saying "unauthorized vehicle will be towed at owners expense" but no indication of what a "unauthorized vehicle" is. This is our primary store for our winter stay and we do not recall any sign forbidding overnight parking and do not recall seeing RV's parked there later in the day or night.

[sandsys]

The Publix is the anchor store in a small strip mall with a very large parking lot. We see no signage denying

overnight parking. There is a large sign saying "unauthorized vehicle will be towed at owners expense" but no indication of what a "unauthorized vehicle" is. This is our primary store for our winter stay and we do not recall any sign forbidding overnight parking and do not recall seeing RV's parked there later in the day or night.

I would consider that sign to mean no overnight parking since who is going to authorize my overnight in a strip mall lot? I'd sure hate to wake up to my rig being lifted by a tow truck.

 

Linda Sand

[coachmac9]

Just visited the Wal-Mart store in Atlanta Tx. and noticed that there were a couple of employees putting up "No Semi Parking" on the light poles out front. I didn't have a chance to ask about overnight RV'ers but I will definitely ask the next time I go in and pass it along. I kinda figured something like that was going to happen because there were more and more semi trucks and trailers parking their rigs there overnight lately. I go by the store every evening going home and there were always 4 or 5 trucks and trailers there at dark and they were beginning to take up a lot of space.

[Ray,IN]

Just visited the Wal-Mart store in Atlanta Tx. and noticed that there were a couple of employees putting up "No Semi Parking" on the light poles out front. I didn't have a chance to ask about overnight RV'ers but I will definitely ask the next time I go in and pass it along. I kinda figured something like that was going to happen because there were more and more semi trucks and trailers parking their rigs there overnight lately. I go by the store every evening going home and there were always 4 or 5 trucks and trailers there at dark and they were beginning to take up a lot of space.

Our local WM parking lot was designed by the city planner office. It has many islands to make semi parking very difficult. Well, now semi drivers found the entrance for WM delivery semi's. Any night there are now 4-6 overnight semi's taking up space in an already nearly full parking lot.

I expect to see those signs posted any time now. I've seen an RV there perhaps 3 times in the last year.

[JEEPOHOLIC]

when only 10% of the people can afford the price of 90% of the houses, it leaves the other 90% of the people trying to get the other 10% of the affordable houses, so with that math that leaves the other 80% to find other means of living arrangements, homeless, shelters, tents, cars, vans, old motor homes that are to far gone to get into an RV park, and probable could not afford the park prices, its a fact of life that not everyone can afford to travel the country in such fine motor homes, trailers, fifth wheels, back in 2001, I was one of those people living in the city streets, city parks, and Walmart in an old beat up motor home and I felt lucky to have a locking door, and a roof over my head on those rainy NW nights, everyone of those people have a story of how they ended up where they are at, just ask and find out first hand

[coachmac9]

An up-date from the Atlanta Tx. Wal-Mart...I talked with the manager yesterday and he said overnight RV'ers were welcome!! He said the semi's were banned because several of their light poles had been knocked down by the big trucks.

[sandsys]

An up-date from the Atlanta Tx. Wal-Mart...I talked with the manager yesterday and he said overnight RV'ers were welcome!! He said the semi's were banned because several of their light poles had been knocked down by the big trucks.

That surprises me since truck drivers usually know more about where their vehicles are than RVers do. It will be interesting to see how the light poles do with the truckers gone.

 

Linda Sand

[Toddleti]

Here is my rule of thumb, I don't shop there and I am sure not going to camp there. Just a thought.

[Kirk W]

We shop at Walmart frequently and occasionally spend a night in one of their parking lots. The same can be said for Lowe's.

[Kirk W]

We shop at Walmart frequently and occasionally spend a night in one of their parking lots. The same can be said for Lowe's.

[Ray,IN]

That surprises me since truck drivers usually know more about where their vehicles are than RVers do. It will be interesting to see how the light poles do with the truckers gone.

 

Linda Sand

"Usually" being the key word. A few years ago a semi driver came within about 2-3" of taking the LF fender off my dually while exiting a rest stop, and I had stopped about 5-6' from the front of the space. He left so quickly I thought someones husband was after him.

[KRum]

This is what Walmart has to put up with at some locations:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBoJuL11CI

[accumack]

You need to follow this.

https://www.escapees.com/images/pdfs/boondocking-letter.pdf

[trailertraveler]

A perfect example of what Walmart is facing in some locations. In his very first statement,the star of the video says he has been at this store for about three weeks. Later in the video, he states that others have been there a month or more. He makes reference to hanging out with others in the parking lot while running a generator. He keeps referring to what he and the others like him are doing as boondocking.

 

It seems to me that Walmart management at that store is taking a pretty reasonable approach by limiting stays to 24hrs rather than banning overnights completely.

[accumack]

A perfect example of what Walmart is facing in some locations. In his very first statement,the star of the video says he has been at this store for about three weeks. Later in the video, he states that others have been there a month or more. He makes reference to hanging out with others in the parking lot while running a generator. He keeps referring to what he and the others like him are doing as boondocking.

 

It seems to me that Walmart management at that store is taking a pretty reasonable approach by limiting stays to 24hrs rather than banning overnights completely.

 

I completely agree. The few ruin it for for the many.

[2gypsies]

The video guy and his buddies are the folks that are ruining it. The whole idea of WalMart's generosity of letting people spend the night enroute to their traveling destinations is being totally abused. While looking at this video I kept cringing whenever he mentioned the word 'boondocking'. This is definitely not boondocking. This is living on a parking lot.

[Rosita]

This entitled, chutzpah-filled squatter will likely get sympathy from some, but it would not be a surprise if this this type of flagrant abuse of a courtesy results in Walmarts and other "RV friendly" businesses cutting off the overnighting privilege. Jerks like this guy go a long way to jamming it up for everyone else!

[TXiceman]

No sympathy from me for the squatter. Move to an RV park or sell the RV.

 

Ken

[bigjim]

I am not going to knock anyone but I actually am happy to see them restrict parking to the one night. It could help control a situation that is getting out of hand.

 

One thing that bothers me at times is some Walmarts really are too busy and limited in space for parking and even though they allow it I consider it discourteous and somewhat abusive to use those Walmarts. The main one I have in mind from personal experience is on Eubank at I40 in Albuquerque. That is just my opinion.

[sandsys]

Many people who move into RVs because they are broke often don't realize they can't just park anywhere for however long for free. They meet one or two others doing it then think it is OK. Obviously, they never asked Walmart's permission to park there long term so they are lucky they got away with it this long. But, I do feel for the people who get into this situation because they didn't know any better who now have to figure out what to do about having a house they can't afford to park.

 

Linda Sand

[Kevin H]

Many people who move into RVs because they are broke often don't realize they can't just park anywhere for however long for free. They meet one or two others doing it then think it is OK. Obviously, they never asked Walmart's permission to park there long term so they are lucky they got away with it this long. But, I do feel for the people who get into this situation because they didn't know any better who now have to figure out what to do about having a house they can't afford to park.

 

Linda Sand

 

Hear Hear, Linda. I don't know his circumstances but I can almost hear his buddies telling him it is easy and cheap to live at Walmart. I applaud WM for giving them 24 hours rather than immediately running them off. He sounds more confused and uncertain than mad about it. We are all ignorant until we are educated.