We have stayed at several Walmarts but always park as far away from the front of store as possible.We DO NOT CAMP though(no awnings out, no barbeque grills, etc.), just park, sleep and go and we always try to buy something we need.It's a good idea to ask the store manager for permission.IMO Walmart is a place to get a little rest and that's it. Have never had a bad experience.

This is one of the most religious topics in RV-land. It always seems to center around each individual's definition of "camping" versus "parking" and each individual's "right" to do either wherever they want. I would encourage us to NOT get into a religious debate on this topic here. There are several Yahoo Walmart formus for that.

With that said, I am a long-distance RV'er usually traveling 400-600 miles a day. So, parking for an overnight at Walmarts (or other places) while under way works very well for me. I've stayed at many dozens of them. There is an excellent site for locating overnight parking places (where every location has been reviewed by real people/parkers for accuracy) at http://overnightrvparking.com yes it costs some $20/year, but it is worth far more. There are many other freebie "walmart parking sites" but none of them contain the level of personal accounts that this site does. And if you arrive late where the next stop is hours away, those personal and recent accounts are a life saver. As an avid parker at Walmarts and the like, there is no finer reference.

Walmarts are publicly accessible private land. Subject to local laws and land owner's desires, "parking" may (or may not) be allowed (signs or no signs).

TO ME, I repeat TO ME,  "parking" means arrive late, leave early, always ask the manager, no levelers (pavement damage), park way out of the way, minimal/no slide outs, no BBQ's, no awnings, no lawn chairs, no un-hitching, no pavement dumping, no multi-days, well you get the idea of how "I", I repeat, "I" define how I "park." No campground offers this late arrival, early departure, never disturb your neighbors convenience. But again, it's for parking and not camping.

YOUR ideology and mileage will vary!

Sherri and I park at the Wally World once a week. I have found it to be a very expensive place to park...seeing as how Sherri has a tendency to spend mega bucks in the store. I think I will try parking the RV there one day and see if it is as expensive as just parking the truck there. I will get back to you with the results.

Speedy

We've done the Walmart thing and will again when we're trying to make time.  We're in the parking mode at that point just pull in make sure we're semi level.  Feed the cats eat a meal and take a walk around the store to see if there is anything we might need.  Hit the sack. 

We've also stayed over night in a rest stop some few states don't allow it there will be signs.

We've stayed over night in the parking lot of a 24 hour gas station / convience store (I spoke to the manager he thanked me for asking and said no problem.)

It really comes down to find a place you think you'll be safe at (The wife doesn't like places that aren't at least a little busy she feels a little traffic is good) then ask if there is someone there to ask.  The worst thing that can happen is they say yes.

Mallo

How about parking at a hospital? I knew a couple who would park there because they are open 24 hrs and have security and theres signs posted on HWY to direct you to them. But this was over 20 yrs ago and times have changed so dont know if it's posssible now.

IMO, the correct approach to Walmart overnighting is arrive early evening, ask the store manager for permission, no slide outs, no chairs, low profile, out by 7am.....that's the way we keep it available. Also shop a little. G......

I guess I've gotten a bit leery about WalMart parking lots and parking our tt there. Seems many WalMarts are in fringe areas or less desireable areas, and with all of the stuff going on that causes the need for parking lot security, I just am too much of a worry wart. I guess if there are several others parked close by, then the concern would be lessened, but I am far less trustful that I used to be (I used to routinely drive between Michigan and Florida by myself or with my 3 children, and stop for rest in hospital parking lots or behind motels. Now I question my sanity).

I have been told by Walmart store managers that the corporation has no problems with RV overnight parking but its the city they may reside in that does. Some of that in my opinion is political since some people and groups don't like Walmart.
In one Walmart the store manager said they initially ignored the city ordinance but then they started getting fined so that is why they aggressively let the RV'ers know they can't spend the night.

Dumping your black water tank in a parking lot is gross!

Could someone here tell me about the rules for using a generator in a Walmart parking lot?

Well said, Bill! 

While I understand the FMCA/Good Sam club views on overnight parking at Walmart, I don't believe that the letter they print for members to put under the wipers of "offending" RVers is a good thing.  Could create a very bad situation for someone. 

Common sense is the rule.  What difference does it make if I put my slide out when I park on the fringes of the parking lot and it extends over the grass?  If I need to use my leveling jacks and it is a cold day, they won't damage the asphalt. If it's hot, I'll put down pads under the jacks.  Generator, I use it as needed.  A/C is a wonderful thing in the hot summer time.

I've asked several times at Walmart if not only was it okay to park, but may I put out my slides?  Most of the managers had no idea what a slide even was.

Common sense is the rule.  If you wouldn't do it in your front yard, don't do it in someone else's.

Best Regards!

-- Edited by Old Snipe on Thursday 5th of May 2011 07:54:09 AM

We always stayed at Wal-Marts when I was a full-timer years ago. Rand McNally printed a Wal-Mart version of their national atlas, identifying all their locations coast to coast. I bought the new edition earlier this year in prep for going back out on the road. Wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The 24 hour Wal-Mart Supercenters were always the best choice for overnighting, and the best chance it was allowed. We also stayed at Flying J's and many other truck stop chains. There are always RVs overnighting in the back of the lots at all four Wal-Marts in the Spokane area, including the small store that closes at 10. I don't deem it necessary to ask at a 24 hour location, especially when there are other rigs obviously parked for the night, but if the store closes, I always ask.

Hi Bill,

Without reading the linked thread, I can guess from conversations I've had with people in person that a lot of it has to do with the old saw about Wal-Mart selling so much Chinese-made merchandise, and their tendency to come into a community and displace higher priced retailers with volume purchasing. When I've made the comment that I do some of my shopping at Wal-Mart, I've had some people go nuts and verbally attack me as though it were treason to shop there. I'm sorry, but they do have some good deals, and it's not the weakly made Chinese merch I'm interested in.

When I shop there, I'm mostly after name brand American items sold for far less that competing retailers, and I also favor some of their house brands. Why pay $3.68 for a box of 7 packets of Quaker Oats instant hot cereal when I can get a similar box of 10 packets of Great Value instant oatmeal cereal for $1.68? I get more cereal and save over $2 on the box, and the flavors are just as good. That's good home economy in my book.

The argument I've mostly had with people is about Costco. A lot of people I've met who shop exclusively at Costco go ballistic when they find out I shop at Wal-Mart, including my most recent girlfriend. I shopped with her at Costco, but she could not bring herself to set foot inside a Wal-Mart. I'm way too pragmatic to go in for that kind of thinking. I'm not here to defend Wal-Mart or to cast stones at other stores, although I refuse to pay a membership to join any store; I'll fill out the form and accept their discount card, but that's the extent of it. I just want good deals and a parking lot for boondocking.

I'm not exclusive to any single store. I must have had a hundred store cards in my possession when I stopped full-timing the first time. Shopping at different stores is actually kind of interesting, because I find different brands and styles everywhere, and it's interesting to try new things sometimes. Nowadays, the other stores I shop at are Grocery Outlet, Safeway, Fred Meyer (Kroger/Smith's), and Rosauer's/Huckleberry's (Spokane grocery chain), but none of them let RVs park overnight. Wal-Mart fills an important niche for travelers, regardless if one chooses to buy their stuff.

Michael

-- Edited by flickeringtorches on Sunday 11th of September 2011 01:19:40 PM

Ah, I see. Well, given that the rig I was in was over 10 years old and worth a fraction of many of the rigs around us, I had fewer issues with that. Boondocking is a good way to save money when full-timing on a budget. Some of the folks I met who had big rigs in the six figure range put their whole life savings into it, and boondocking made sense for them for the same reasons as it did for us--to save money as well as time finding a campground, and to camp overnight at a place we were going to shop anyway. Wal-Marts frequently have on site security driving the parking lot all night, and felt a touch safer than truck stops, especially since a lot of truck stops require dirt or gravel parking, where Wal-Marts are always blacktop and usually flat. In that sense, and as a place to save money on groceries, Wal-Mart has always been a good friend to my family.

I was perpetually on the move in those days; I visited most of the national parks in the lower 48, plus many state parks, national monuments and such. Hence, there was always a need for boondocking. Regarding security, we felt we did pretty well. There was one time at the Wal-Mart in Houston where a moron in a pickup used it to ram a shopping cart into the side of our rig. THAT was unpleasant! There was also a time when we were at the Wal-Mart in El Paso, which was a weird experience because we were one of only two or three families in the whole store who weren't Mexican. All the overhead announcements were in Spanish. In Galveston, the manager had a fit that we were eating dinner in the rig in the parking lot, but it turned out that they didn't own the lot and didn't make the rules, so I can understand that. Other than that, I can't think of a bad experience we had in a Wal-Mart parking lot. It probably helped that we had an older rig. I see from your sig you've got a pretty fancy setup and I can see how that would affect your perception of where you park. When I got a new pro camera kit in 2007, I was pretty nervous and self-conscious about flashing it around in downtown Seattle at night during a holiday week trip, taking pictures of street life, Pike Place Market, etc, even though I felt safe carrying it openly in downtown Spokane, my usual turf.

If I parked overnight at a Wal-Mart I would feel oligated to shop in the store and I never shop at Wal-Mart.

Some Home Depot stores will allow overnight parking subject to prior approval. Same applies to some county facilities like at the water treatment plant.

I would not mind paying to park in a truck stop parking lot as the security is usually excellent. Some of the larger Flying J truck stops have dedicated RV parking out of the way of the big rigs.

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Saturday 7th of July 2012 08:06:26 AM

Here in Fairbanks, Alaska, the local Walmart store has a special area in its parking lot, reserved to RV and there is even a sign where it is exactly and many rigs are there all summer long and it even starts to look like a normal campground site! That includes old school bus converted into RVs, motorhomes, travel trailers and weird looking trucks from Europe... So if you ever come this way, feel free to use Walmart parking lot...

The Walmart in Lebanon; Tn is a Supercenter. They don't mind a night or two stay. Are off I-40 East of Nashville; exit 238-hiway 231; go North 3/4 of a mile.

We overnight at Walmart on our way to and from Arizona for the winter. We always ask the manager and we always do some shopping. So far we have never had any trouble at all. I know of a couple that hate Walmart, yet left their rig in a Walmart parking lot for three days while they visited family. That is just wrong!

The regular Walmart I use always has RVs in the lot - but it's on a low traffic highway.

On the other hand the other nearby Walmart on I-75 prohibits overnighting.

Seems to be any WM on major routes are weird about it from what my research reveals (due to the local government not WM).

My first project when I go will be seeing how many Pilot and interstate rest stops I can free overnight at on one tank of gas (just for the hoi) without hitting the same one.

I've never towed with my current vehicle so it's a SWAG but I'll aim for 21 nights - even 14 would be sweet though.