Walmart's Parking

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

It makes me wonder how they can sleep through the noise their own generators make. Are all these people deaf?

They may be, or it may be that the generator noise is well isolated from those inside their rig, but not from those nearby.

Two years ago we were parked in a Walmart lot in Washington state. There was nobody parked near us when we went to bed at about 11 PM, but we were awakened by a VERY noisy generator at 5 AM. An older Class C had parked right behind us, and cranked up their generator at 5 AM. Later, the owner was bragging about how quiet his generator was -- said he could barely hear it when he turned it on. I told him to turn it on and then come out side to see how loud it was -- and that we didn't appreciate being awakened at 5 AM by his noise.

At least he apologized, and said he had no idea it was so loud to those around him, and that he'd make a point of parking away from other rigs in the future.

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

It's crazy for people to spend that [the national average of $40.93/night] just to sleep. To spend no more than perhaps 10 hrs at the site and not even bother to use the hookups or dump station. And in some areas we couldn't even find CGs near the Interstates to spend the night. One time in upstate NY, the nearest CG was something like 40 miles away.

And that, in a nutshell, is why many RVers elect to park overnight at Walmart or some of the literally thousands of other places that allow Overnight RV Parking. True, "blacktop boondocking" isn't to everyone's taste, and that's fine. But for those who want to take advantage of the Overnight RV Parking hospitality offered by many Walmarts, many other retailers, small community parks, and the like, And there really are thousands of them. My Overnight RV Parking database currently lists more than 9,500 locations, and we don't even have all the Walmarts entered yet.....

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

If you need to run a generator for medical reasons you can always choose a spot away from the other RVs parked there with people trying to sleep. WM doesn't demand that all RVs be packed together. ...

Usually, but not always -- it depends on the store.

Some Walmarts do indeed want all the RVs in one specific area of the lot, and will tell you to move if you park anywhere else. But in most cases you're right -- The majority of stores just want you to park, in their terminology, "at the back of the lot," which means the far FRONT end of the lot, furthest from the store, usually closest to the street or to neighboring businesses, without obstructing any traffic lanes. So in most cases, those who will be running a generator have the opportunity to be courteous to their fellow RVers & park away from everyone else. (This is just another situation where following the Golden Rule is a good idea.)

[tim fm ct]

Originally Posted by jobriant

And that, in a nutshell, is why many RVers elect to park overnight at Walmart or some of the literally thousands of other places that allow Overnight RV Parking. True, "blacktop boondocking" isn't to everyone's taste, and that's fine. But for those who want to take advantage of the Overnight RV Parking hospitality offered by many Walmarts, many other retailers, small community parks, and the like, And there really are thousands of them. My Overnight RV Parking database currently lists more than 9,500 locations, and we don't even have all the Walmarts entered yet.....

This is an interesting situation for me. The information should be very helpful but it is indeed a business. I see the poster is a "commercial member". I am not familiar with that classification but will check into it.
$24+ a year seems reasonable but the post is an ADVERTISEMENT. How does the administration of this forum validate postings like these?

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by tim fm ct

This is an interesting situation for me. The information should be very helpful but it is indeed a business. I see the poster is a "commercial member". I am not familiar with that classification but will check into it.
$24+ a year seems reasonable but the post is an ADVERTISEMENT. How does the administration of this forum validate postings like these?

From out Community Rules

Commercial Members
Any member with an RV-related product, service or company, whether for profit or not for profit, may make a request to become a Commercial Member. iRV2 does not discourage nor endorse any commercial entity and is not primarily intended for soliciting business by commercial entities (advertising). Commercial Members must adhere to all forum policies including the following which specifically pertain to Commercial Members:

• Members with a commercial interest in participating in our community will be identified as commercial members at our discretion.
• Commercial members may not solicit our membership or advertise except as specifically allowed in these policies or by prior arrangements with SK networks. This includes: posting prices, directing members to phone for more info or directing members to any pages at their own commercial website or website in which they have a commercial interest in, including informational pages.
• Commercial members will refrain from making direct, emotionally charged, posts to, or about competitors.
• Commercial members may not post product comparisons.
• Commercial members may not use any section of the forum to discuss their products or services unless answering a direct question and even in this case may not quote prices.
• Commercial members must have their business name incorporated into their signature block (may be a (1) link to website). Commercial members may include their business telephone number within their profile (but not in their signature).

[Aguyfromcalg]

Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart!
Wherefore art tho Wal-Mart campers?

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by Aguyfromcalg

Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart!
Wherefore art tho Wal-Mart campers?

We're parked at a shopping mall in the San Francisco Bay area, after spending the night in a restaurant parking lot near where I played a Dixieland gig on Friday night.

Not all Overnight RV Parking [not camping] locations are Walmarts. To continue your Shakespearian theme, "There are more Overnight RV Parking Locations in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

[Road Ranger]

I've stayed at a Walmart only once and, even at that, felt sort of guilty abot being on someone else's property. I'm sure I'll get over that, of course ;-), but that's not my point. The idea of paying back the favor is a very good one. While I was out walking the dog (and picking up after her!) I also picked up four carts that were strewn all over the parking lot, so that's another way we can help keep the Walmart and town folks on our side. I am always stunned by the number of carts left sitting in the parking spots when you could usually reach the cart placement area with 4 beers and a good bladder! Not to mention all the coffee cups and fastfood wrappers. But that may be a rant for another time.

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by Road Ranger

I've stayed at a Walmart only once and, even at that, felt sort of guilty abot being on someone else's property.

There's no need to feel guilty, provided you follow Walmart's Corporate Policy and obtain the store's permission to park overnight. At most stores, the place to ask is the Customer Service Desk. If the manager of a given hasn't authorized the CS Desk to grant or deny permission, they will know who has that authority.

And, as has been noted numerous times in this seemingly immortal thread, many stores LIKE having RVers in the lot overnight. As one store manager in Washington state told me, "You supplement our security. You all have eyes, you all have ears, you all have cell phones, and you all know how to dial 911."

Originally Posted by Road Ranger

... I am always stunned by the number of carts left sitting in the parking spots when you could usually reach the cart placement area with 4 beers and a good bladder! Not to mention all the coffee cups and fastfood wrappers. But that may be a rant for another time.

I think we'll find that the majority of RVers are NOT the ones who leave trash in the lot or who leave shopping carts strewn about. And the majority of non-Rving customers don't do it, either. As with so many things, it's a tiny minority of selfish, self-centered, thoughtless abusers who make things look bad for everyone.

[RanCarr]

Originally Posted by jobriant

They may be, or it may be that the generator noise is well isolated from those inside their rig, but not from those nearby.

At least he apologized, and said he had no idea it was so loud to those around him, and that he'd make a point of parking away from other rigs in the future.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but it's hard to believe he was never outside his rig when the gen' was running.

[RanCarr]

Originally Posted by jobriant

And that, in a nutshell, is why many RVers elect to park overnight at Walmart or some of the literally thousands of other places that allow Overnight RV Parking. True, "blacktop boondocking" isn't to everyone's taste, and that's fine. But for those who want to take advantage of the Overnight RV Parking hospitality offered by many Walmarts, many other retailers, small community parks, and the like, And there really are thousands of them. My Overnight RV Parking database currently lists more than 9,500 locations, and we don't even have all the Walmarts entered yet.....

Very interesting site. With us, if we wanted to find a campground to spend the night in, we would still have to find a WalMart or similar store for our fresh BBQ chicken (or whatever) and side dressings, then start to hunt for the CG. That makes no sense to us at all. I for one would be interested in a complete list of places to sleep for free for the night, especially if they have a restaurant and/or store.

[Dunner]

What flavors of rotisserie chicken does WM have? I had some from Kroger's some years ago and at the time, they had Herb Garlic, Lemon something or other and I think a third kind.

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

... I for one would be interested in a complete list of places to sleep for free for the night, especially if they have a restaurant and/or store.

To my knowledge, there is no such site, and I think I speak with some authority, since I've been researching this almost daily since 2006. I believe (with appropriate modesty) that the searchable online database at Overnight RV Parking is the closest thing to a complete list that's available anywhere -- and we have a long way to go before it's complete. Just keeping up with the closing and relocating of Walmarts, and the changes in Rest Areas in the 48 contiguous US states & the Canadian provinces is nearly a full time job.

Whenever we have information about retail stores and restaurants near an Overnight RV Parking location, we include that info in the database listing.

[RedneckExpress]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but it's hard to believe he was never outside his rig when the gen' was running.

I think more he was of the belief that it wasn't of an obtrusive level and likely wasn't to 99% of the rvers there.