CAMPING AT WALMART

This time I want to talk about something serious. I promise that next time, I’ll resume telling about some of our humorous RVing moments.

I’m sure you’ve seen RVs parked at Wal-Marts and wondered why they’re there. Well, there are probably a couple of reasons why RVers stop overnight courtesy of Wal-Mart.

1. They are trying to save money. If an RVers wishes to stop for a brief nap, they may not think it’s worthwhile to pay $25-$40 plus for a place to park their RV for a few hours when they don’t plan to use any of the park’s amenities.

2. They can’t find an RV park nearby. Maybe they’re exhausted and need to catch a few hours sleep before heading out again, and they really don’t want to leave the Interstate and travel (maybe for miles) searching for an RV park. We’ve found this to be the most common reason RVers stop in Wal-Mart lots.

One time we were traveling the Interstate through Phoenix on a hot 100 degree-plus evening and needed to stock up on groceries and gas, so we pulled into a Wal-Mart & Sam’s hoping to fill both our pantry and gas tank. A security guard rushed over as we pulled off the road and said “you can’t park in this lot.” We told him we really needed groceries and gas, and asked if we couldn’t park on the outskirts of the lot and hike to the store to get groceries? “Oh sure,” he told us, “but then you’ll have to leave. The city doesn’t allow overnight parking in our lot, and cops patrol and ticket RVers.”

Well, we got our groceries, but while we were doing that, the gas pumps closed down for the night. So already low on gas, we had to make our way miles further down the freeway to fill up. If we could have spent the night there, we would have filled the gas tank first thing before we left in the morning. As it was, it took a couple of hours to find a rest area where we could stop. We hadn’t passed a single sign for an RV park along the way.

So, you wanna know, what’s up? You see RVs park in Wal-Mart all the time. There are two reasons that RVers might be turned away.

1. Some RVers set up camp for a few days, and they sometimes leave a mess behind. Those types give all RVers a bad name and destroy parking possibilities for us all.

2. Usually it is because nearby RV park owners raise a commotion about Wal-Mart letting RVers park there, and talk local authorities into forbidding it.

We worked for two RV parks back when we were work-camping that actively tried to prevent local Wal-marts from allowing RVers to stay overnight. In one park, there were two seasons when an available camp site couldn’t be found anywhere within 50 miles, but even then, the owner couldn’t stand to see RVers parking at Wal-Mart.

The other owner was much more militant. He wanted to prevent non-commercial camping anywhere in his state. He was president of his state’s campground owner’s association, and his group was actively lobbying the state legislature to pass a law that would prohibit State and National Parks from having campsites! Wal-Marts were also on their "search and destroy" list. Without competition to keep them honest, our greedy park owner and others could charge as much for rundown, bare-bones facilities as they wished. And that’s exactly what they would have done!

If you decide to park overnight at a Wal-Mart, always check with a manager first. They can tell you if it’s permissible and where it’s best to park. Thank them, and be sure to spend some money in their store. Then be sure to keep your parking site clean, and don’t extend slide-outs or awnings, or set out your lawn chairs and barbeque. And don’t stay more than one night. If you need to stay longer, find a nice RV park where you can spread out and enjoy your visit.

Many Wal-Marts offer excellent parking opportunities for when you are in a hurry and want to stop for a couple of hours or so to rest, or for when you can’t locate a nearby RV park. But RVers should never abuse their generosity by making the parking lot look like a disorderly homeless camp.

Just like in any civilized society, courteous behavior is a requisite if we want to keep emergency parking spots available to all of us. Surely, each of us can do our part to ensure the continued cooperation of Wal-Marts and communities across the country.