1) Always ask for permission to stay.
2) Always ask where they would like you to park. Never block loading zones.
3) Do not put out the lawn chairs, awning & BBQ grill.
4) Do not stay for more than one evening.
5) Do not use leveing jacks in the parking lot. The weight of the RV can cause damage to the asphalt. (See photo above)
There are more common-sense rules that apply, but these are what I consider to be some of the more important points to follow. We also reciporcate by shopping at the Wal-Mart to re-supply and re-stock the RV with any essential items.
Many Wal-Mart stores around the country offer this overnight parking service to RV owners until somebody spoils it for everybody. It’s easy to quietly pull-in, park, spend the evening, clean up after yourself and leave in the morning.
Try not to be the bad apple when it comes to staying at a Wal-Mart in your RV!
Happy RV Learning!
Mark Polk
RV Education 101
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Thanks for the reminder to all. I am a female and travel alone (with 2 or 3 dogs) and do appreciate Wal-Mart's generosity. I do pick up after other people. to help ensure the continued use of Wal-Mart.
ReplyDeleteWe've stayed at many Wal-Marts when travelling. We do put our slides out as nothing is accessible with them in. We ALWAYS ask permission and where on the lot to park. If I put the front jacks down on my 5th wheel I always put wood blocks under them. We have only been turned down by Wal-Marts that are not on their own property, ie: the city owns the land which is often the case if the Wal-Mart is not a stand alone building. An example is Lake Havasu City where an ordinance prevents it. I think the city is short sighted as we contribute to their economy in groceries, fuel and supplies. In March we stayed at Wal-Mart in Page, AZ and left $150.00 behind plus topped up fuel for another $70. That's $220 to the local Page economy. We would have spent it anyway but maybe not at one particular store.
ReplyDeleteThe Wal-Marts in Kamloops and Vernon BC have recently banned overnight parking. When asked why, the Kamloops Store Manager advised me that it was due to the cost of cleaning up garbage left in their parking lot. I don't think that is the real reason, but that is their excuse.
ReplyDeleteThe Walmart in St. Augustine,Fl does not allow r.v.s because someone drove spikes in the parking lot to hold their awling out. Bad apple
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the picture in this article, with the C parked sideways to the parking spaces, reminds me of a time in Indiana when I parked that way and someone parked in front of me and another close behind. I was trapped. They were legally parked and I wasn't. Finally someone came out and moved the one in front of me and never again did I park that way in a parking lot. I now park wherever it takes so no one can park in front of me.
ReplyDeleteThe last Wal Mart we stayed for the night was in Bend, Oregon. There were several RV's there and one car with a family in it. The RVers were all just like us, no jacks down or BBQ's or chairs outside. The family in the car were absolute pigs! When I got up in the morning they were gone, but had left trash strewn all over the place, including baby diapers full of crap! I always carry a pair of gloves for handling my sewage drain hoses so I picked up their mess and threw it in the garbage can....some people!!!
ReplyDeleteI do all of the items suggested in the article. Plus I pick up as much trash in the lot that I can, especially the areas where the RV's stay. When I leave in the morning I fill up at WalMart's gas station.
ReplyDeleteIf that particular WalMart has the security patrols that drive around the premises all night, I make sure that I talk to them and let them know that we'll be there all night and leaving in the morning. They always respond positively and are quite friendly.
I even had one friendly security patrol officer in a Wichita WalMart come by later after we'd chatted a bit and let us know about a forecasted severe weather warning for later that night.
I agree with the one poster above. I'd say that we average at least $200-300 worth of business for the particular WalMart that we stay overnight with.
We do not abuse WalMart's hospitality as we average only about 4-5 nights per year with them.