Walmart's Parking

[FATMANAR]

now looking at that sign posted above, I would think that trucks were not allowed, but rvs were. But I am from Arkansas what do I know.

[Lakeman1]

FATMANAR what about that sign would cause you to draw that conclusion?

[WilleyB]

Originally Posted by FATMANAR

now looking at that sign posted above, I would think that trucks were not allowed, but rvs were. But I am from Arkansas what do I know.

Strange, but I would think the opposite. I've seen many of these type signs, just little differences in them, and they are all directed toward NO RV overnight parking.

Now there is one Wal Mart I overnight park in. The parking lot is not much larger than the store itself. There is a No RV Overnight parking sign on every light post. It's easy to understand that if the lot has a lot of RV's or 18 wheelers there will be no room left for the customers to park (that's a fact)
Now on my last trip we pulled into the lot shortly before closing, there were already 4 other RV's parked on the perimeter. so when we settled in there were five. The store closed and a little after midnight when I walked the puppy there were a total of 25 vehicles (some cars & mini vans) staying the night. (There were RV's parked on both sides of the signs) and all had a good nights rest. By the time the store opened in the morning all were gone except 3 RV's ours was one of them (DW has MS so associated problems cause delays. (perhaps that will be the cause of a citation someday)
If you read between the lines you can see what is taking place, the status quo is accepted "don't block the parking lot" regular travelers using the area understand this. If you ask the manager, the answer will be no, read the signs. Obvious this is bubble ready to burst when a larger number of RV's are in the lot when the store opens, all it will take then is one phone call to the Police from the store and the problem will be solved.
Actually there's another WM close to that one and it allows overnight parking.

If you ever wish to get into a shemozzle like that be sure you ask the RVers who are already parked what the score is, if no one has an answer then it's best to move on. it's not worth taking the chance you won't have to move during the night.
Cheers
Willey

[Lakeman1]

I just don't understand this. Everyone seems to agree we don't want to screw up a good thing and yet we stay overnight when we shouldn't. Maybe I am missing something, if there is a sign with a picture of an RV that says overnight parking prohibted or one that says no RV overnight parking I am not going to stay overnight!!

[jobriant]

Earlier in this long thread, there were comments to the effect that all (or virtually all) Walmarts that disallow Overnight RV Parking do so because of pressure from local campgrounds, often in the form of a local anti-RV "No Overnight RV Parking" ordinance passed under pressure from the campgrounds.

This is simply not the case. In a substantial percentage of cases, Walmart managers change store policy to ban Overnight RV Parking due to RVer behavior.

Another such case came to light today. I just processed a report from an RVer who had parked overnight at a given Walmart in the Southeast (always with permission) on two or three occasions over the past few years. But when they went there last week, they saw new ""NO Truck or RV Parking" signs. They went into the store to ask permission anyway, as suggested by others here (including me), and were told that Overnight RV and Truck Parking is no longer allowed.

I just spoke with the store manager on the telephone. The reason he changed the store's policy is that a large number of RVers who have been parking overnight in this lot without permission, in many cases parking close to the building and blocking traffic flow and customer parking spaces. The store's solution to the problem has been to ban overnight parking by all RVers.

I strongly recommend that we DO NOT ASSUME, just because there are other RVs in the lot, that these RVers have already received permission to be there. In far too many cases, otherwise intelligent RVers just drive into parking lots and park for the night, as if they owned the place, without a concern for the policy of the business, without a concern for the needs of the business and its customers, and without a care in the world for any possible consequences of their self-centered thoughtlessness.

PLEASE, if you want to park overnight at a Walmart or any other retail store, ASK PERMISSION FROM THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK. In most stores, they know the policy. If they don't know the policy, they'll call a manager who does. If there's a specific place in the lot where they want you to park, they'll tell you. If permission is contingent upon your departure before a certain time, they'll tell you.

Please don't be one of those "I want what I want and to heck with everyone else" RVers who give the rest of us a bad name. Please don't be the inconsiderate RVer who causes yet another Walmart manager to take away the Overnight RV Parking privilage at his or her store.

[georgetown350]

I would never tell an rver who is considering parking at a walmart late at night to go see the manager.

But I now know that if there is a prohibitive sign posted, there is a good chance I will get a knock in the middle of the night regardless of the number of rvers parked. This would make it hard for me to fall asleep.

[Bill Adams]

Originally Posted by jobriant

Earlier in this long thread, there were comments to the effect that all (or virtually all) Walmarts that disallow Overnight RV Parking do so because of pressure from local campgrounds, often in the form of a local anti-RV "No Overnight RV Parking" ordinance passed under pressure from the campgrounds.

This is simply not the case. In a substantial percentage of cases, Walmart managers change store policy to ban Overnight RV Parking due to RVer behavior.

Another such case came to light today. I just processed a report from an RVer who had parked overnight at a given Walmart in the Southeast (always with permission) on two or three occasions over the past few years. But when they went there last week, they saw new ""NO Truck or RV Parking" signs. They went into the store to ask permission anyway, as suggested by others here (including me), and were told that Overnight RV and Truck Parking is no longer allowed.

I just spoke with the store manager on the telephone. The reason he changed the store's policy is that a large number of RVers who have been parking overnight in this lot without permission, in many cases parking close to the building and blocking traffic flow and customer parking spaces. The store's solution to the problem has been to ban overnight parking by all RVers.

I strongly recommend that we DO NOT ASSUME, just because there are other RVs in the lot, that these RVers have already received permission to be there. In far too many cases, otherwise intelligent RVers just drive into parking lots and park for the night, as if they owned the place, without a concern for the policy of the business, without a concern for the needs of the business and its customers, and without a care in the world for any possible consequences of their self-centered thoughtlessness.

PLEASE, if you want to park overnight at a Walmart or any other retail store, ASK PERMISSION FROM THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK. In most stores, they know the policy. If they don't know the policy, they'll call a manager who does. If there's a specific place in the lot where they want you to park, they'll tell you. If permission is contingent upon your departure before a certain time, they'll tell you.

Please don't be one of those "I want what I want and to heck with everyone else" RVers who give the rest of us a bad name. Please don't be the inconsiderate RVer who causes yet another Walmart manager to take away the Overnight RV Parking privilage at his or her store.

So, I am curious. You have made 16 posts to this forum and all were related to this particular topic. You say you just "processed a report from an RVer". Who are you and what are you doing that RVer report to you?

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by georgetown350

I would never tell an rver who is considering parking at a walmart late at night to go see the manager.

Asking people to go see the manager isn't my idea. Rather, this is exacely what Walmart says RVers are supposed do ANY TIME they want to park overnight at a Walmart.

I quoted Walmart policy in an earlier message in this thread, but you may have missed it, so here it is again, word for word from the Walmart corporate website (www.walmartstore.com/317.aspx) FAQ page:

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 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. [emphasis added]

Walmart wants EVERY Rver to contact store management before parking overnight in any Walmart parking lot. Given the choice between doing what you want me to do and doing what Walmart wants me to do, I'll go with following Walmart policy.

[jobriant]

Originally Posted by Bill Adams

So, I am curious. You have made 16 posts to this forum and all were related to this particular topic. You say you just "processed a report from an RVer". Who are you and what are you doing that RVer report to you?

I co-own a website that deals the subject of Overnight RV Parking. Some of the information in our database comes from RVers' reports.

Because the iRV2.com forums have specific rules applying to commercial entities, I'm not permitted to add anything more specific than that. I'm contacting a forum moderator for more information about their "Commercial Parties" designation, which may allow me to say more at a future date.

Sorry I can't give you more details at present.

[georgetown350]

Quote:
Originally Posted by georgetown350
I would never tell an rver who is considering parking at a walmart late at night to go see the manager.

If you pull into a walmart at midnight you may or may not wish to stay in your unit for safety. Totally up to the individual and none of my business. This is why I would not dictate to anyone to go in and ask for permission especially late at night. Prohibitive signs are good enough for me. If there are other rvers already snoozing and no prohibitive signs then thats my cue to pull in turn the key off and go to sleep. If Im not sure about the parking rules I personally would not hesitate to go in and ask.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Well, no wonder RVers are getting to be less welcome at Walmart - look at some of the stuff they leave behind...:

Yfrog - abandonedatwalmart

[Bill Adams]

Not quite as bad as the RVer who was found dead in his RV in the parking lot of our shopping complex many, many years ago. I drove by the RV for several days and then saw too many flies hanging around the screen windows but didn't investigate any further. I guess it didn't make any difference that I didn't but to this day I wish I had.

[cb5300]

Originally Posted by georgetown350

I would never tell an rver who is considering parking at a walmart late at night to go see the manager.

I would never tell a RVer NOT to contact a manager! Contacting the manager shows repect and sometimes it'll pay off for you. I remember three summers ago I was traveling thru Indiana when I pulled into a Walmart around 11PM, asked the manager about parking overnight and the manager told me that they usually didn't allow it, but since I asked, and if I didn't mind pulling around to the far side out of sight she would allow me to park over night. I was very gratefull to her and told her so.
Point is, you should always ASK first.

[Redcrown]

Walmart is the most expensive rv spot I have ever parked on, I don't think I have every left there without spending $150 or more! Walmart loves it!!