Community Forums

cb5300 · 01-20-2010, 10:26 AM

I believe if the parking lot (area) causes me a reason to fear for my safety I would just move on to the next Wally World..

After all they ARE everywhere!

After saying that, I have stayed at Wally World, and never once have I ever felt unsafe at any of them. Of course, I always have my two friends with me (Smith & Wesson) and they always give me a certain peace of mind...

Chuck 1935 · 01-20-2010, 10:55 AM

Good idea Wayne. If the DW does not return you can assume it's not a safe place and move on !!

Always-RVing · 01-20-2010, 11:57 AM

I was just at a WAL*MART and talked to a security patrol. I asked about parking and they said it is always good to let the store management know you are there and how long you plan to be there. They did not have any opinion about putting the slides out. At that particular Wal*Mart, they limit stays to one night and permission each night for any subsequent nights up to 3. Also, they have parking lot areas for RV'ers..

When in doubt... ask.. Many local ordinances prohibit RV over-night parking no matter what Wal*Mart says.

Keep it clean, Stay under the radar, don't make waves... And of course... It looks real good when you have a bag of goods which is the basic reason they want you to park.

steelheadbluesman · 01-20-2010, 12:39 PM

I agree with George and CB5300. If your intuition tells you it might be unsafe, move on....

I also insure w/ S&W

And Chuck, that's a good one.

Wayne M · 01-20-2010, 01:50 PM

George and CB,
I do not dispute what you are saying. I'm just saying that there are alternatives to finding out if you can park there or not. One needs to weigh all the options. Also I did not say she had to walk across the parking lot, but that you could pull up to the front of the store where any one would have 20 feet or less to get into the store. And of course there is always the Cell phone, if one has one. My whole point was that there are options that need to be evaluated by each individual and then decide what is appropriate for your situation.

Most likely what you could get is a knock on the door and be asked to move on. Not a big deal.

My wife is waiting for the day she can drop me off at the Wal-Mart and some nice senior citizen will direct me to the nearest senior citizen center. I just figured, I could do it first.

georgetown350 · 01-20-2010, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Most likely what you could get is a knock on the door and be asked to move on. Not a big deal.

Ya but it sucks when the knock comes during a good dream.

Barrier2 · 01-20-2010, 02:43 PM

If we plan to stop at a Fearful Walmart we first open the windows and slide the screens over so we have clear access. We set up an M-16 in the rear bedroom and two 12 gauge shotguns in the front. Naturally we have set out the 30 round mags in the rear maybe 10 or so and at least 50 rounds of 12 Gauge 00 buck in front. We keep in touch with our hand held radios with pre arranged code words. Since we only have one night vision scope my wife keeps it next to her at all times. My coach does not accelerate very well due to the 1/4" steel plate and Kevlar in the walls so have to be able to hold them off. I can then leave to speak to the Manager about staying the night.
JUST KIDDING!! But aren't we all getting a bit carried away?
Seriously why would any one stop and plan to stay at a WM or Rest Stop if you are at all uncomfortable? We have stopped at rest areas, sized them up and left.We once stopped at a rest area about 12 midnight and after we heard vehicle doors opening and closing every 15 minutes and loud conversation we realized we had stopped at a RED-LIGHT REST STOP. We left before our young sons awoke and started noticing and asking questions.
If you are really exhausted look for a PO and ask where a close SAFE place to overnight would be.
Robert

georgetown350 · 01-20-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

But aren't we all getting a bit carried away?
Seriously why would any one stop and plan to stay at a WM or Rest Stop if you are at all uncomfortable?

I do know people who generally do not go out late at night anywhere. The knuckle head druggies are just having there morning coffee at midnight. And they are everywhere. Now whats really not smart is someone who walks his dog at a rest area at 2 am..... guess who did that two weeks ago.... good guess me.

Chuck 1935 · 01-20-2010, 04:24 PM

Barrier2, If you do't mind I could use the exact location of that rest area and any ideas on pricing or credit card acceptance ?

WilleyB · 01-20-2010, 05:34 PM

Quote:

whats really not smart is someone who walks his dog at a rest area at 2 am..... guess who did that two weeks ago.... good guess me.

Oh! don't know about that. Well maybe I am a bit nuts but in an case I'm about 5' 11" and when thr puppy decides to look me in the eye

she can put both front paws on my shoulders and then look down to me

I don't mind trailing along at the end of the leash but 12:30am is the limit. There's usually a large deposit to be made that I wouldn't want on the floor of the RV.
There was only one WM where we decided to move on, although they turned the parking lot lights out we stayed until a truck came in (most likely an overflow from the Flying J) it had the noisiest engine I ever heard. Figured he was going to leave it running while he slept (must have had ear plugs or was stone deaf) so we moved on. Co Pilot warning me not to get in an accident because she was in her jammies. That's the fun that goes with rV'ing

Cheers
Willey

jobriant · 01-21-2010, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Most likely what you could get is a knock on the door and be asked to move on. Not a big deal.

Unfortunately, there are cities where that "knock on the door" can be accompanied by a ticket. In researching local Anti-RV "No Overnight Parking" laws I've found that the penalties can be quite steep. In one community, you can get a fine of up to $600.00 and up to 30 days in jail, just for occupying an RV "for living purposes" (which they define to include sleeping) for more than five consecutive minutes between 10 PM and 6 AM.

There are also a few places where the officer who knocks on your door will then escort you to the city limits.

And, as discussed earlier in this thread, there can be consequences for all other RVers, as well, when a Walmart manager gets fed up with people parking without permission and bans all overnight parking by all RVs. (If you haven't read this whole thread, that's exactly what happened in one Walmart in the Southeast, within the past six weeks.)

WilleyB · 01-21-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

In one community, you can get a fine of up to $600.00 and up to 30 days in jail, just for occupying an RV "for living purposes" (which they define to include sleeping) for more than five consecutive minutes between 10 PM and 6 AM.

Jim that's Draconian, belonging in the dark ages, or is that where this civilization is headed. What do they think an RV (MH;TT; 5'er etc) is for if not "living purposes" albeit for most people a temporary one. Weird people, those ones

I certainly don't dispute or disbelieve what you've posted but if that's a direction being taken by comunities in the US, I can't see wasting $400 on passports just to visit.

(Not sure about the passport fees are nowadays, but after you jump through all the hoops to get one it's most likely around 2 "C" notes.

Cheers
Willey

Wayne M · 01-21-2010, 08:00 PM

Jim,
Maybe I did not state myself correctly. I am not advocating to not get permission, but to use every means available to obtain permission. If you can not get permission by the means I described, or by any means, then move on, it's not that worth it. I'd find a church parking lot and rest there for a few hours if I needed to. Mostly, I'll pull into a campground. I just prefer the creature comforts. But that is me. To each their own, and not to jeopardize others.

jobriant · 01-21-2010, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WilleyB

Jim that's Draconian, belonging in the dark ages, or is that where this civilization is headed. What do they think an RV (MH;TT; 5'er etc) is for if not "living purposes" albeit for most people a temporary one. Weird people, those ones

I certainly don't dispute or disbelieve what you've posted but if that's a direction being taken by comunities in the US, I can't see wasting $400 on passports just to visit.

I agree, Willey, that it's a lousy law. It's obviously aimed at people who try live in their RVs in that particular community by parking on the street or in business parking lots, for extended periods of time. But the way it's written, it throws the baby out with the bath water -- it makes a criminal of a traveling RVer who would like to park overnight in that community for one night, without paying for un-needed campground amenities.

Fortunately, it's in only one city in one state. The majority of cities and towns in the USA still welcome RVing tourists. In some places, the town even has free RV spaces in a city park or similar location, to encourage passing RVers to stop for a day or two.