Million dollar RV vanishes from Wal-Mart lot

[seahunter]

Interesting tale of parking at Walmart:

http://www.rvnewsservice.com/2012/06...shes-from.html

[Bill-N-Donna]

I believe I would at least ask. With the signs that were up he should have checked with management first.

[seahunter]

Yes. I have never stayed at a Walmart or property like that, but I would at least do the courtesy of checking in with the owner or manager before just grabbing a spot.

[Montana Sky]

I too always ask a MGR on duty if overnight parking is allowed. If so, I make sure I buy something from the store as a gesture of appreciation. I think the bigger question to this story is: who would put $40k in their rv safe? AND be sold bold as to tell everyone in print that you do it. Oh by the way, here is my first and last name along with what type of motor coach I own. Lastly, my mother lives in this city, so the odds are I will be back to this city over the next few days/months/years. Just keep an eye out for my Prevost Motor Coach...you know where the money is! Scary...

[seahunter]

I was wondering about that too. Is the 40 grand just light traveling cash? And is it in a real safe, or a little lock box like in our units that you can pry open with a screwdriver basically?

[mlh]

If the guy really had his million dollar motor home stolen, I would think no big deal. If he can afford one million dollar RV he can afford another one. I would be a lot more concerned about the family with a used popup.
Lynwood

[mhs4771]

It all comes back to the fact that Wally World is OK for a quick overnite stop, but not for camping for days or leaving your rig there for several days.

[RickW]

The only time our unit has been unattended in a WalMart parking lot is while we were inside the WalMart.

[mlh]

I was wondering about that too. Is the 40 grand just light traveling cash?
It is definitely light traveling cash. He probably owns a business that deals in cash and he takes some home to avoid paying taxes. This isn't all the cash he has. It is a small part, a VERY small part.
Lynwood

[DQDick]

This fool is the type of person that makes life hard for other RVers. Parking a rig that size on the lot and leaving it? Once the store begins to do business each parking spot is worth $ and he took up quite a few. The sense of entitlement is incredible. I guess he thought they owed him the spot so he didn't need to ask. On the other hand if you carry 40 grand around with you, paying an $800 tow bill is not much of a big deal.

[steelpony5555]

It does say he was a Walmart share holder, so I guess it depends on how many shares he has whether or not he owns some of those parking spaces. But then to I think I am a Walmart share holder. Heck, I am there enough and spend enough money there to be a share holder lol lol.

[DQDick]

If he really had a lot of Wallmart stock he'd want to let the customers get in there and buy something.

[Art-n-Marge]

Stockholder or not, does not allow one to "steal" from the business just because of it like he stole business by taking up parking spaces. It's well documented everywhere to always check in with the property or business owner so they can accommodate you.

We take our liberties and freedoms way too much for granted. They should be limited to the point when we start taking liberties and freedoms from others, like the business trying to make a living. Maybe the rig owner should have a giant sticker on their Prevost that says "Walmart Stockholder" and a picture of the certificate. It would make a great beacon to match the $40K in their safe. How does a store manager not knowing what's going on, not founding the owners at their rig, supposed to do?

I think that owner got away cheap compared to what could have happened. Look at it this way, it was towed to a "safer" place. Hopefully everyone is now a little smarter.

It would be nice for a campground to provide an overnighter site, but this can be inconvenient and sometimes too far out of the way which is why so many prefer a more prevalent business with room that is easier to find or is along the way. Just check in and/or drop some money there as a consideration for the savings and convenience they provided you and respect their business.

I think I've just agreed with everyone.

[patbarton]

I wonder... if he had gotten approval to stay there, and was in the store shopping for a while, with his towed vehicle in the auto bay getting new spark plugs and delayed waiting for other parts to arrive... AND the store manager knocked on the door and after getting no response, had the RV towed...

Would we be taking a different view....?

I think some of our ire should be directed at the store manager.

But... Yeah, I know... million dollar RV, overstayed his welcome...

[DQDick]

He didn't just stay overnight. He left the rig there and stayed at his mothers house and then in the morning did some banking business for her before he returned to find his rig and full trailer gone. He's quoted as saying he only did a little necessary banking business for her. I don't know about the western suburbs of Chicago, but most places the banks don't start doing business until 9am and then the business still has to be conducted. In my opinion, as a business owner, a full sized motor home connected to a full sized covered trailer (used it to haul his classic car) parked on the lot on a weekend business day would justify using a D-9 cat to scrape it off the lot! Sorry this guy, and other folks who feel entitled to take advantage of businesses get me going!

[steelpony5555]

It does make ya wonder what the whole story is because to tow a Prevost and attached trailer is not like calling Bubba Towing to come on down with his flatbed. The $870 tow bill does reflects that. Kind of hard to believe that any mgr would jump on the phone first thing in the AM to try and have a Prevost towed. He woulda had to hunt up a heavy towing company and then who's gonna pay the tow bill? I know there are lots of signs saying your gonna get towed but 9 times out out of 10 it don't happen because it's hard to collect and is a major headache for the towing company. For some reason this mgr really wanted this rig off his lot bad.

[RickW]

I would have to re-read the article but I seem to recall that this is not the first time he has left his setup in the WalMart parking lot while visiting his mother. I was also left with the impression he has left it there for extended periods of time.

As for the tow hookup, that can take about 30 minutes. The tow operator has to lift and then block up the bus so that he can get under it in order to drop the drive shaft, cage the brake cans and then release the brakes. It is not a simple hook and go.

As for getting paid the tow company is not worried about that. They tow the setup to their secure lot. Once it is there it is not leaving until the tow and storage fees are paid.

[sailer]

The guy is a jerk with no brains . If you want to see your mother go see her park in front of her house or appt and see her . He is a bragger and a stock holder . maybe 1 stock and $4.00 in the safe . The money in the safe was worth more that his 12 yr old RV . sailer

[D and M On The Road]

It's time to pull out the.....

Unofficial Guide to Overnight RV Parking at WalMart (or any other store):

1.) Don't stay if "No overnight parking" signs are posted. If you do, be prepared to be asked to leave during the night if you don't have prior permission. You might also be issued a citation by the local law.

2.) If you arrive during store hours, always go in and ask for permission to park overnight. Get the name of the person you get permission from.

3.) If you arrive after the store is closed, park in the furthermost corner away from the store. If you'll be arriving after hours and already know that you are going to try and stay at the store’s lot, call the store ahead of time for permission. Always get the name of the person you talked with.

4.) When obtaining permission from the store manager to park, always supply them with:
--- The description of your tow vehicle
--- Description of RV
--- License plate info on all
--- Your name & phone number
If you leave your vehicle to shop inside the store or if you have permission from the store manager to unhook and leave the RV in the parking lot, it's best to leave on your dash or taped to the window of your entry door a note stating that you have permission of the store manager (put their name in the note) to be parked there. Some stores might issue a special “permission card� that you need to leave in plain view. This could very well stop any unnecessary towing or citations of your vehicles.

5.) Never unhook your tow vehicle or towed-vehicle and leave the RV. This is not a campgound. It is okay to unhook if, (after getting permission from the store manager), you have an emergency, or you have repairs that need to be made to the tow vehicle and you are taking it to a local shop for the repairs. Never do any repairs in the lot yourself. Put something under your supports so they don't damage the parking lot surface.

6.) It's okay to open the slide-outs, but do not put down stabilizer legs, supports or jacks. It's understandable that you might need to open the slides to have access to areas inside your RV.

7.) Never put outside any chairs, or other personal belongings. Do not open your awning. In otherwords, the only thing you own that should be visible is the RV and the tow vehicle.

8.) Never cook outside of your rig.

9.) No loud music or television. Try to be as quiet as possible.

10.) It's okay to use your generator in very short intervals. Never run it for more than absolutely necessary, and never after 10pm at night or before 7am in the morning.

11.) If traveling with children, do not let them run around and play in the parking lot.

12.) The dumping of ANY tanks in the parking lot is NOT okay. Report anyone who does to the store management right away.

13.) Be good neighbors to the store. Purchase something during your time there.

14.) Never stay more than one night. Period. If you have an emergency and it's absolutely necessary to stay more than one night, discuss it with the store manager.

15.) Leave the area cleaner than you found it. Don't ever leave any trash.

16.) Carry a pack of post cards with you. After you leave the store after staying the night, send one to the manager thanking him/her and noting that you had a pleasant shopping experience in their store. (If you, in fact, did).

[seahunter]

That's a great list Doug and Margee. I had not seen the one about the postcard - great idea.