Rookie question - boon docking at Walmart

[Bob Denman]

I'm off my game today: The Missus has actually been keeping me busy in the Office!

[Hooligan2]

I never seen Bob wear his robe at Walmart, but- I see why he gets a discount...

[Bob Denman]

...busted...

[Fluidone]

The wife, our mini dachshund, and I went on an 18,000 mile 88 day trip last year from NE Florida to Alaska and then down the west coast and the 101 until the wild fires in California made use head east to Reno and points east. We only spent just over $900.00 in camping fees for the whole trip. We camped/overnighted most of the time on pull outs along the roads, Walmart and various other big box stores. The one rule we followed, is at all retail stores we would ask management if we could overnight. If it was allowed they would usually tell us what area to park in. Now the reason we started to stay at camp grounds is it was getting to be late spring/early summer and we like to sleep in comfortable temps so 'plugging in' and running the A/C were required. The house batteries charge while we travel and when we were in areas we stayed a few days in Canada I have a solar panel I set up and it will charge that house batteries over a 12 to 16 hours sunshine. Since I am retired Navy I made use of camp sites available on various military bases. I also made good use of my lifetime National Parks Access Pass that gets me discounts. A side note on camping in Canada, they have some user maintained campgrounds and they do not have Rest Areas like in the USA, they do have awesome pull overs that allow overnight stays. The Alaska Highway is is an awesome way to get to the Alaskan.

All this leads me to this .... if you stay at a retail outlet overnight do not extend slides, extend awning, break out the grill, etc. You are not camping you are just spending the night. If you need to put out the bedroom side so be it, do it. Understand you will be parking with tractor-trailer rigs and long haul drivers so it may be a tad noisy when they get moving in the wee hours.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by Mag

Check out Boondockers.com and if you join up you won't have any questions or issues about levellers or slides etc......

Perhaps you meant: https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/

It is marvelous. I offer a space so have no fees. Also enjoy meeting boondockers. I’ve used four times so far and each has been great. Quiet and some even have electric.

[EA37TS]

Our local Walmart has put up No Overnight Parking signs within the last 2 weeks.

[Bob Denman]

Well... it is their parking lot...

[TurnerFam]

it's been well established on these forums in many, many similar discussions that W*mt does not 'own' their parking lots, and therefore does not put up 'signage' that you may assume they do - that's the OWNER's prerogative.
W*mts are not 'owned' land, as many might think. They take the 'long term lease' approach, which allows them to move readily when the time comes, as we've seen many times in the past, and not have to deal with the ownership and taxation of the land they sit upon.
W*mts are also VERY friendly with the RVing crowd, as many here can attest, so they certainly do NOT forbid RVs or Overnights in their lots, which is why the corporate website says so.

Many of us use W*mt as the jumping off point for these discussions, but many, many big box stores, including HD and LWS, are very friendly to RVing as well. Matter-of-fact, if you use one of these stores, and their large lots, you might find it much less stressful for a quick overnight.
While some restaurant chains like CB seem to 'welcome' overnight RVs, they can be a challenge to maneuver into.
Some big box stores who cater to Outdoors and RVing types also welcome travelers and overnighters, like Cabelas(now a sub of Bass Pro Shops), even offer DUMP STATIONS and WATER, and dedicated overnight parking areas.

While all of these are fine options, small towns may not have these, and therefore you can get creative with 'where' you decide to park. Generally large store parking lots might work, but also business parking lots where the hours are more 'business hours' than retail hours. Most police and sheriff patrols in smaller towns don't see this as much, and generally don't perceive it as a problem, and sometimes even are a little curious to the ability for RVs to simply 'overnight' somewhere, and maybe a little envious.

Don't fret it. Use the option when you need to, but also don't put yourself in the mode that somehow it's 'against the rules' - it's simply parking somewhere overnight, with little difference to any other vehicle left somewhere overnight. In most all circumstance, no one is out to ruin anyone's day, or night in this case, but yes, trying to be 'stealth' usually rewards you with less concern by the passing public. Out of sight is out of mind.

[Bob Denman]

I would like to see a picture of you parked next to a "No Overnight Parking" sign...
If the sign is in "their" lot: does it matter if the Store Manager; or the Lot-Owner put it up?
It may even be a case of complying with Town Laws...

...Just sayin'...

[TurnerFam]

yes, There are plenty of times we parked right under a no overnight RV parking sign, at Walmart, and yet the police and sheriffs deputies drive-by and don't stop, don't hesitate, and don't question it, because Walmart has not contacted them to come and bother their customers that decide to overnight in their parking lot, as this is only the landlord signage, not Walmarts.Or simply a local ordinance, by the city or municipality, that is rarely, if ever, actually enforced.

[Bob Denman]

We'll just have to "agree to disagree..."

[TurnerFam]

this discussion is not to dissuade RVrs from making use of this choice, or to decide that they don't feel comfortable doing it even if others do, but to simply highlight the truth about whether it's 'legal', or not, or whether someone will get 'jailed' or 'ticketed' simply by doing it...

for example, my wife would never do this if she saw any signage 'prohibiting' it, or even just mentioning 'no semis', as she is not one to ever cross that boundry, or even feel herself getting close to it - at least she was at first...

I, as you might suspect, don't take on the same concern, as I feel that simply parking in a large, largely unused, parking area is not anything 'illegal' or wrong, even though, early on, even we called or went inside and asked the 'manager', who always said "no problem, disregard any signs you see, they are from the landlord or a city ordinance, and only to help dissuade big semis from using this as their daily parking lot". Several 'big semis' parked right next to us all night, they weren't disturbed either, and the police came thru the lot several times during the overnight.

My wife now wants to know why we're NOT staying over... she now understands the value and benefit, and is not concerned at all with the signage, if any. Asheville NC's walmart has the signage, and yet the security truck stopped by, asked if we needed anything, and welcomed us for our overnight there, parked right under the sign. They welcome RVs, whether or not the 'signs' may say otherwise.

We all have wheels, and can leave at a moments notice, if asked, but it's very, very rare, and certainly not the norm, as every situation is different.

Use the option if you are comfortable, don't if you're not... there's no rule in RVing.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Most every rest area I've passed through have signs..."No Overnight Parking" but the lots are full and flowing up and down both ramps with trucks and campers every night...imagine that! Most signs are placed for the JIC they need to be enforced, but...I wouldn't park on private property if there was a sign stating not do do it. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or does...it's only you that will have to deal with it at 2AM. Municipalities have different rules everywhere.

[Bob Denman]

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1575471010

[The Gritz Carlton]

Speaking of goats...


Home


This is my daughter's business...goats are her life...and they do swim in the river!!

[Bob Denman]

That is really cute!
Thanks for sharing it!
(Send the "floating your goat" picture to her... )
I know that this is a sheep: what the heck!

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

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

Most every rest area I've passed through have signs..."No Overnight Parking" but the lots are full and flowing up and down both ramps with trucks and campers every night...imagine that! Most signs are placed for the JIC they need to be enforced, but...I wouldn't park on private property if there was a sign stating not do do it. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or does...it's only you that will have to deal with it at 2AM. Municipalities have different rules everywhere.

I just thought it was interesting. A couple weeks ago overnight parking at the Walmart was okay and now it is not allowed even though there were no changes to ownership or municipal/county ordinance or code.

I will say that area of the parking lot is now clean and litter free. When they allowed overnight parking the area often looked like pig pen. I believe it is a case of the rolling pigs ruining it for all. Next time I am down that way I'll have to see if the other (relatively local) Walmart has changed their policy.

[The Gritz Carlton]

The "rolling pigs" are the truckers. They dump all their trash and full pee bottles out the door just before they drive off. Same as what they do on the ramps to the freeways where they park there. There was one recently in McDonough that got locked up for taking a crap on the ground at 3AM...right next to his truck on the ramp. Look across the parking lots of truck stops...trash thrown out the door 10 feet from a trash receptacle. I know not all of them do this but the vast majority...yes. I'm sure there are a few RVers that do it too but for the most part...it's the truckers. The 20% are always the ones that ruin it for the 80%.

[Bob Denman]

Yup... When some nit-wit does something thoughtless: we all get painted with the same broad brush!
...And it ends up shutting down some perfectly good places to park!

[Pete'sMH]

When I was part of the working class my career was in hospital administration. Our hospital and most others in our system had several designated RV parking spaces at the far end of one parking lot. Several of ours had 30/50A hookups though none had water or sewer. They were quite often used by patient’s family members. On more than one occasion I gave permission for someone else to use one for a night or two. I wouldn’t do so for “ordinary travelers” but if you’re in town visiting an employee or certainly if you need a place to park to see a doctor or something. It’s not something that will help many of us very often but it’s worth remembering that there might be spaces there if you have an actual health related issue while on the road.