Wal-Mart vs Local Pay Camping Problems - Montana Owners Club

dsprik · 09-11-2005, 05:34 PM

I am sure that many of you are probably aware of this, but this is an article that I thought that would be of interest to many regarding Wal-Mart camping and the ire it could possibly stir up with the local "pay" campgrounds. This article is dated last March.

That's all we need... for a judge to set a precedent by ruling that local ordinances could force Wal-Mart (or any other major store) to prohibit camping in their parking lots in order to try to force people into their "pay" municipal campgrounds. I know not everyone agrees with this type of camping, but the freedom to choose to do this should not be restricted. Just my Red White and Blue coming out.

I also was not aware that Sam Walton himself promoted this idea. Good business!

http://www.jamestownsun.com/main.asp...ubSectionID=91

CountryGuy · 09-11-2005, 06:28 PM

Too tired to read the article right now, but Seiverville Tennessee already has a law on it's local books, NO overnighting at the local Walmarts. $500.00 fine if you try it, the cops WILL be there to inforce it, EVERY night! (Or so say the locals)

dsprik · 09-11-2005, 08:20 PM

I've heard some people abuse the situation. I guess I may have a problem with a local government coming in, strictly for financial reasons and passing an ordinance that has nothing to do with protecting the welfare of it's citizens - but only to help line the pockets of some of the city council's buddies.

Montana Sky · 09-11-2005, 09:21 PM

I have used Wal-Mart's parking lot a few times to rest my eyes. The old saying goes, "it only takes one to ruin it for the rest of us." When I pull into the lot for a quick rest nap, I pull as far out into the back of the lot as possible, I do not open slides or drop jacks down that could cause damage to the lot. I stay up against the curb and try to be polite to the customers of the store. I usually pull off the road late at nite (after midnight) and am shocked at what I see when I arrive. Folks have their carpet out, lawn chairs out, slides open, jacks down, dogs tied up outside barking, ect... This is not what the company wanted when they allow us to park in their lots for a stay, it is a place for us to sleep and of course stop inside the store and spend some of our money in return for the free nites sleep. If folks cannot help keep the cities clean and appealing to the residents, of course they are not going to allow us a free nite stay when we get tired.

Jeff Heiser · 09-12-2005, 04:16 AM

No WalMart overnight parking in Brevard County Florida. Even though the WalMart stores would love to have you county ordinances prohibit it. It's not because of pay campgrounds complaining about it either. It's due to abusers who pull in and stay for a week because there are no campgrounds in the area close enough to the beach for them or they have pets that are too big to stay in one of the area pay campgrounds. Our local WalMart as others have video surveillance however if the store sees you parked for more than an hour or so they will come out and tell you to leave. Last year returning after evacuating from one of the hurricanes we stopped for lunch at a WalMart located somewhere in the middle of the state of Florida anyway, we were not even pulled in, the truck still running and we are still in the truck when a store security guard pulled up and told us no RV parking. I had some very (NOT) kind words for him, pulled in had lunch and pulled out. I guess he was just doing his job, but there were no signs, no notice etc. ANYWAY sometimes you just have to stop.

God Bless America
Jeff Heiser
Merritt Island Florida

DHenry · 09-12-2005, 05:22 AM

No overnighting at the WalMart in Windsor, CA either. They have signs posted on every light post on the outer edges there stating this.

snowbunny · 09-12-2005, 05:58 AM

Just saw a recent notice of a new city ordinence (May 2005) that there is no overnight parking at the Walmart in Plattsburgh NY.

I can see both sides. Late at night if I am in a strange place and don't know where to camp Walmart can be a blessing. But often I see big expensive motorhomes and 5ers parked at Walmart at 11 AM or 4 PM with jacks down. Somehow this doesn't seem like a stay 'of last resort'. Just someone doing it on the cheap.

drhowell · 09-12-2005, 07:03 AM

Redding, CA also has a no parking ordinace. Not only Wal Mart and other business but on city streets. Maybe we need to carry it to the extreme and not support any business in those citys that restrict parking. I wouldn't want to get a ticket while I was in shopping for supplies etc if my pickup and trailer was breaking any laws? I know most say "no overnight parking" but just trying to make a point! I imagine the RV community wouldn't make enough impact with a boycott to overturn any city regulations anyway.

HamRad · 09-12-2005, 08:55 AM

Drhowell,
If you don't already visit the Escapees web site you should do so. One of the things that they support is finding places to park. They have a very good system and have been very instrumental in helping "educate" townships on "good" parking ordinances.

Dennis

drhowell · 09-12-2005, 09:41 AM

Thanks Dennis, Good tip. In the mean time just pass through Redding and shop in some of the smaller more friendly places.

campbud · 09-12-2005, 09:53 AM

We can still park here in central Illinois. That is a shame one ruins it for so many others.

Montana_4221 · 09-12-2005, 10:13 AM

No overnight parking at Wal-Mart in Chattanooga,Tn. either. I don't see where I will boycot them either as I stay out of that establishment as much as possible. I generally don't agree with Wal-Mart policy but I tend to agree with that decision. No offense intended to folks who stay overnight there but I never could understand why someone would spend huge sums of money for a brand new motor home and then camp at Wal-Mart for weeks at a time. I realize that a lot of folks would pull in for some shuteye, but I noticed alot of people abusing it as well. There may have been a problem with insurance and liability as well. I prefer to camp at the lakes and rivers whereever possible and have never considered Wal-mart an option. Don't think the fishing would be good there.

Virgil · 09-12-2005, 12:46 PM

While not on the road that much, I haven't parked in a Walmart parking lot. I don't plan to either. I figure if I need to get something from Walmart, I can drive from the campground to Walmart. I think some people take advantage of Walmart's offer. It does irritate me when I go to a Walmart and see a $250000 motorhome sitting there. Maybe that is how they afforded that, but it just doesn't seem right to me. If you can afford to buy a rig of any type, you should be able to afford a camp site. Just my opinion. I really can't say I blame the campground operators. I know someone that once asked a motel if he could stay in their parking lot. They showed him where to park, let him plug in for lights, tv, etc. They charged him $0 and he had the nerve to go in and get a free continental breakfast that the motel offered to guests. Now takes the cake in my book. A lesson on integrity and self dignity is needed there.

Montana_1197 · 09-17-2005, 05:32 PM

The Wally World campground is generally a Mutual Admiration Society between the store and RVers. We get a safe, secure, and lite stopover and they (and McDonalds) get a lot of our business. I haven't heard of any problems in my town but I will check with the managers at the 3 (soon to be 4) supercenters. I even heard (not confirmed) of one store in a nearby smaller town where, for a $10.00 fee they will open a lockbox on the pole and you can connect to a 20amp power. Plus the fee goes to their current charity project. but if you pop the breaker they won't reset it. So no cheating there.

Montana_2957 · 09-18-2005, 12:27 AM

Just finished 938 mile trip, non-stop except for 5 hours to catch some sleep. The rest stops were full, no convenient RV parks, and doubt they would be too happy with us pulling in at midnight anyway. So there was a safe 24 hr Super Walmart. Spent $64 marine battery, purchased groceries, spent tolal of $125 and caught a few hours sleep - was out of there before the morning shift arrived. I asked if ok to catch few hours sleep - they were more than happy to accommodate. Looks like a win/win situation to me, but agree that it is an abuse use their parking lots as a campground.

Parrothead · 09-18-2005, 06:45 AM

Don,
Your situation is the type that makes it sensible to use WalMart. The sales vs place to spend a couple of hours for sleep is the example WalMart has used in fighting many of the cities that are preventing overnight parking. But you didn't spend the next few days there and that "camping" is what most of the complaints are about. Looks like it was a win-win situation.
Happy trails...............

melnjoy · 09-18-2005, 07:32 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Virgil

"If you can afford to buy a rig of any type, you should be able to afford a camp site."

I agree also with Virg & Jo, about integrity and self dignity. It is the people that totally abuse privileges given to us all that hurt us in the end. Even though we don't and won't shop at Walmart (for personnel labor and small township issues). Having been in BIG BOX retail for so many years I have a good idea of how they Bring in the community to their way of thinking, I do think their intention of available use was to show customer care & extra service to the RVers to "bring them in" to their store, since their lots are so big & they have the room, and it just sounds so carring... but not for much more than to be used as rest stops. Like Verg said, if they can afford an RV, what the heck are they doing "Camping" at a Walmart for more than a day or at the most 2 as a stopover? The old saying of Can't we all just get along comes to mind. In this age of "instant service expectations & since the customer is "always right attitude", people have forgotton how to be responsible for themselves in general. What ever happened to being responsible for your own actions? When did that go away? Wow, talk about getting off the subject, sorry. Anyway it comes down to not abusing privileges if we want to keep them.

Joy

adelmoll · 09-18-2005, 08:37 AM

As a member of the Escapees, I have been following the threads on the Escapees and RV.Net forums on Billings, MT. with great interest and some anger. Because I have a personal interest in the Billings area (My grandson lives there and I love to see him whenever we are anywhere near) this is a real dilemma for me. We spent one night at the KOA there in June this year and they charged $46.00 for fhu. I made the comment that we just wanted to sleep here not buy the place and the sweet girl at the desk said they want to raise it to $51.00. She then asked us if we had more than the two of us or any pets. I said my Grandson was going to be coming to pick us up later and she said it would be $5.00 for each additional person. Needless to say I told Her we would meet him out on the road. As we drove in to the KOA we passed another campground called Yellowstone Camp Ground about a block or so before the KOA. We decided the next time we would stay at Yellowstone but low and behold the owner of that campground called Escappee members a bunch of freeloaders dumping there tanks all over and emptying there trash wherever they want. That is after the owner of the KOA went to the Council meeting and tried to ban anyone from parking anywhere in Billings but a "public campground." On the other hand I agree that many have abused the hospitality of some of the free, safe, even pavement to park for a few hours sleep like the ones I saw when we went to the Great American Rally in Oregon this July. The Walmarts were filled with Rver's before the rally started and they were still there when it was over. Yes they had their awnings out and lots of lawn chairs. We were paying $48.00 a day for our resort campground and it was well worth it. I sure don't mind paying for site when we use the ammenities but if we were to pull in at 10:00 pm and leave by 8am we are not camping just parking. There has to be a happy medium. I don't feel I have any say how a campground runs it's business, except take my money somewhere else, or why a business allows some to camp on their lots instead of just park for a short rest. Does this make sense?
Helen

Montana_139 · 09-18-2005, 10:43 AM

We appreciate and use Walmart lots 1 to 3 times a year. (We fulltime) We are never there more than 8 or 9 hours and we never unhook the truck. I feel that campgrounds overcharge for people that are only going to sleep a few hours.
Glenn

CountryGuy · 09-18-2005, 10:53 AM

Makes ya wonder if the campgrounds are not missing a "market". Why not a reduced rate for those that arrive after 6 oclock at night, or some such thing, who indicate they are leaving by 8 the next morning. Sell us a parking spot for less, and keep us coming in, vs sitting at a rest area, or Wallyworld, or where ever.

It is irritating to stop in a campground, pay $30 or more for a couple of evening daylight hours, sleep time, coffee and breakfast time in the AM, and then roll out and let them see your dust. We stopped in one somewhere in Illinois, it was well over $30.00, it was muddy, and that was for electric and water only. The dump was a night mare, we had to drive the 30 foot travel trailer all around in circles in the campground to get lined up to be able to dump. Saw a Wallyworld just about 10 miles down the road further, and I mentioned to Al, I would rather have spent the night there, ON DRY Pavement, and no other facilities than to have put up with what we just paid a heafty price for, and it was like paying to be flogged! OUCH. I am pretty sure we would have had a ton of problems if we had been in that campground with Montana. The roads were curvy and the curves very tight and narrow. BLAH!

We have yet to spend a night at Wallyworld, but a couple of those experiences will make ya think hard.

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