Okay, here is your assignment. It’s mainly for those of you who routinely stay overnight in your RVs in Walmart parking lots. Most stores, probably three-quarters of them (our wild guess) allow such stays. The idea is pull into a corner of the lot, blend in, stay a night, and then move on.
But everyone has heard the horror stories about RVers who stay weeks on end, or leak oil onto the parking lots or, even worse, leak (or dump) their holding tanks somewhere on the property. Others leave trash, or pull out lawn chairs and grills, acting like the parking lot is a real campground.
This summer, with a record number of RVers on the road, including many “van life enthusiasts” who routinely look for free places to stay, will Walmart parking lots become so crowded with RVs, vans and car campers that the company will say “enough is enough” and ban overnight parking in all its stores (like many individual stores already do)?
What would you do if that were to happen? Where would you stay? Keep in mind that this summer, with a reservation in an RV park or campground required days, weeks or even months in advance, most RV parks will be filled, and just “dropping in” may be very difficult or even impossible.
Please use the form below to respond. We’ll report back in a week or two about how you responded, quoting many of you.
Nothing. Never stayed at a Walmart
I have often wondered why Walmart doesn’t have a section of their parking lot just for RV overnight, and rent the space by the overall length of the rig.
Cannot “rent” without insurance and liability issues. Not a campground!
Walmart is not a campground. Plane and simple.
Our fallbacks are Elks lodges and Cracker Barrel. Never been turned away.
I’ve traveled across the USA 28,000 miles, and never HAD to stay at any Walmart. There are so many other options, so I’ve never had to stay at a Walmart. Nothing would change my traveling routine, if Walmart banned overnight stays. Camping “pigs”, and just plain “camping”, has abused too many Walmart parking lots. I wouldn’t blame Walmart, if they banned all overnight parking tomorrow! If we don’t change our irresponsible treatment of our BLM land, closing those lands WOULD be a tragedy!
Cry? Wander the streets aimlessly? Park and longingly stare up at the large neon Walmart sign?
We hear so much about people who abuse the Walmart privilege. Personally I have never seen this happen. I think the greater threat to the use of Walmart by RV’s are city councils caving in to private RV parks who think that their businesses are threatened. Perhaps the answer lies in a more careful evaluation of RV park business models to include reduced rates for short stay overnight customers who do not need expensive amenities.
Shop/stock up at another store
Haha to mooch dock $aters!
Actually have stopped using walmarts. There are other, better, freeway adjacent places that feed me🙂.
Not a fan of the banners (govt etc). Much of that is to try and prevent homeless encampments before they start. Not a fan of any ‘law’ that takes away freedoms to solve a societal problem.