Walmart no longer an option?

[LeBout]

Our local Wal-mart (Ontario, Oregon) is displaying this sign after years of having lots of RVs in their parking lot.



Is anyone else seeing this, and are all Wal-Marts following this pattern?

[platbr]

Our local Walmart is somewhat of a trailer park, with some travel trailers even up on blocks. It's pretty sad, but one trailer had been there for too long, got impounded, and yup ... dead guy inside.

[pyoung47]

C-172-AV8R wrote:
Rv parks complain to city council that they are losing money. City council capitulates and viola. New signs. Don't blame Walmart they just have to follow the law. Blame the Rv parks. I remember that happened in Prince George B.C so everyone going to Alaska told council they didn't need to stop in P.G. Well all the fuel stations and restaurants complained so they rescinded the ban. Power to the $$$ for sure.

Actually, PG had signs everywhere indicating no parking. I just drove in and out.

After visiting Whitehorse, though, I can see it gets out of hand. WH is ridiculous.

[_1nobby]

The Walmart in Whitehorse, Yukon IS a trailer park in the summer!

The whole outer perimeter is trailers....permanently set up.

And not many fresh faced family crowds, either.

It's ridiculous.

[Atlee]

Probably not. That particular Walmart may have seen their courtesy abused by folks so they have now put up signs. The abuse being either people setting up camp there on a semi permanent basis, or maybe using their lot as a place to make major drug deals. I heard that was the reason one close my me put up a no RV sign. It was just off the major north south road, I-95/I-295.

Or it could be a local ordinance has gone into effect.

LeBout wrote:
Our local Wal-mart (Ontario, Oregon) is displaying this sign after years of having lots of RVs in their parking lot.



Is anyone else seeing this, and are all Wal-Marts following this pattern?

[azrving]

I pulled into a Wally world this evening and there is NO one with their slide IN. LOL Baaawaaaa

[azrving]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

rjxj wrote:
OldBiscuit
We stayed at that spot on Thousand Trails last year, I parked in the first section and picked up all the glass, bags, cupboard doors and other RV parts but I would have needed a dump truck for the back section. Dang dirt bags are growing in numbers.

Probably saw the old 1970/80s run down Class C out there or in area.

It got towed away last week ......one 'stealth' camper GONE!

I was there last Nov and about the worst looking rig was an old TT around the center of the area that looked about 40 ft long and maybe bending in the middle. I think I may remember the rig you are talking about. I remember seeing something ratty as you first turn on Thousand trails and it had a lawn mower sitting on top of it. Another homeless looking guy was in a tent with no vehicle but many that moved through were normal looking. My dogs flipped out when the cows came walking past.

[afidel]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

proxim2020 wrote:
From my experience most of these signs are coming from local ordinances. Sometimes the policies are coming from the actual property owners as Walmart doesn't always owns its parking lots or land. It's not often that we run into a Walmart that's not welcoming to RVers even if the site is posted for overnighting.

For most Walmarts that we've come across it doesn't appear that they have any interest in helping enforce the local ordinance. We've seen people literally overnight right in front of the signs. Over the years I myself have overnighted at a few posted Walmarts and never heard a peep.

We've only ever seen one location that actively prevented large vehicles from entering. There were low height clearance bars installed at every entrance of the complex with warning signs. Walmart was part of a larger complex and it was clear from the signs that the complex owners were trying to prevent trucks from delivering in improper locations and overnighting.

Lately our preference has been Lowe's. They close at a reasonable time, there's no traffic moving around them overnight constantly like Walmart, and there's tons of them around. Also they'll turn off the majority of their parking lot lights off overnight so it's a little darker than Walmart. Sporting good store like Bass Pro and Cabelas are good options as well for the same reasons. It's just harder to find them on your route because they're more spread out.

That's the way our local WM is. They don't care if anybody in an RV parks there even though there are signs.

The cops don't seem to care either. They have more important things to worry about in that town.

Since this is more or less a sanctuary city the WM has people living in tents on the back and side of their property. They have their own little city set up there. Tarps, chairs, tents, cell phones, the whole works; all free from we the people! Very bizarre!

All that being said the most expensive "campground" I have ever stayed at is WM. They "charge me" around $150 to $200 bucks to stay there every single time. Pretty expensive stay for just a parking lot with no hookups! :B

You got off light, I was watching the motorhome expirement on YouTube and they dropped $1k at LL Bean in Freeport Maine between their two rigs, $500/night for "free" parking with no hookups!

[Old-Biscuit]

rjxj wrote:
OldBiscuit
We stayed at that spot on Thousand Trails last year, I parked in the first section and picked up all the glass, bags, cupboard doors and other RV parts but I would have needed a dump truck for the back section. Dang dirt bags are growing in numbers.

Probably saw the old 1970/80s run down Class C out there or in area.

It got towed away last week ......one 'stealth' camper GONE!

[azrving]

OldBiscuit
We stayed at that spot on Thousand Trails last year, I parked in the first section and picked up all the glass, bags, cupboard doors and other RV parts but I would have needed a dump truck for the back section. Dang dirt bags are growing in numbers.

[Old-Biscuit]

hotjag1 wrote:

Acampingwewillgo wrote:

mike-s wrote:

Acampingwewillgo wrote:
Quite frankly, with what happened a few years ago in that Arizona Walmart with the group of Gypsies should have ended all Walmart Parking IMHO.

They weren't Gypsies (Romani), they were vagrant Christians.

Well hush my month, that clears everything up then! First reports, were Gypsies so excuse me. Either way, no matter who or what they were, at least one ended up dead and a whole lot of $hit followed. I just happened to be camping down the road a piece when this occurred and drove down to see the aftermath where many local's referred to them as "gypsies"....so important and happy to be corrected though!

If I recall correctly, they were not RV people. I think they were staying in a station wagon type car. The term "gypsy" comes to mind.

Gypsies, Vagrant Christians, Scum bags, low lifes ...I don't care what label is used. Just GLAD that it was dealt with and Town Council passed NO OVERNIGHT PARKING Ordinance.
Walmart has NO say........park and tow company can come get it.

Now I don't have to escort my sweetie thru a gauntlet of trash, piss bottles and pan handlers.
Problem does NOT exist...nor has it ever ----at local Home Depot.

'Stealth' campers are blending in with 'Thousand Trails' overflow on occasion but with on-going construction on HWY 260 most have been run off by the construction crews. THEY do NOT put up with shenanigans or thieves WOO-HOO!!

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

proxim2020 wrote:
From my experience most of these signs are coming from local ordinances. Sometimes the policies are coming from the actual property owners as Walmart doesn't always owns its parking lots or land. It's not often that we run into a Walmart that's not welcoming to RVers even if the site is posted for overnighting.

For most Walmarts that we've come across it doesn't appear that they have any interest in helping enforce the local ordinance. We've seen people literally overnight right in front of the signs. Over the years I myself have overnighted at a few posted Walmarts and never heard a peep.

We've only ever seen one location that actively prevented large vehicles from entering. There were low height clearance bars installed at every entrance of the complex with warning signs. Walmart was part of a larger complex and it was clear from the signs that the complex owners were trying to prevent trucks from delivering in improper locations and overnighting.

Lately our preference has been Lowe's. They close at a reasonable time, there's no traffic moving around them overnight constantly like Walmart, and there's tons of them around. Also they'll turn off the majority of their parking lot lights off overnight so it's a little darker than Walmart. Sporting good store like Bass Pro and Cabelas are good options as well for the same reasons. It's just harder to find them on your route because they're more spread out.

That's the way our local WM is. They don't care if anybody in an RV parks there even though there are signs.

The cops don't seem to care either. They have more important things to worry about in that town.

Since this is more or less a sanctuary city the WM has people living in tents on the back and side of their property. They have their own little city set up there. Tarps, chairs, tents, cell phones, the whole works; all free from we the people! Very bizarre!

All that being said the most expensive "campground" I have ever stayed at is WM. They "charge me" around $150 to $200 bucks to stay there every single time. Pretty expensive stay for just a parking lot with no hookups! :B

[danimal53]

just stayed at a walmart a week ago, for about 6-7hrs (something like 1am to 8am or so). There were signs posted, but 2 trucks parked and another RV. also a security guard circling the building constantly. The guard could have easily told us to move on, but didn't even stop. We stayed at this walmart based on information on this site. We were way back in a corner, near the tire/auto shop area. I figure the signs are a liability issue in a lot of cases, but we had no issue at all. Didn't bother anybody, nobody bothered us, on the road nice and early. And we did pick up a few things in the store.

[Community Alumni]

From my experience most of these signs are coming from local ordinances. Sometimes the policies are coming from the actual property owners as Walmart doesn't always owns its parking lots or land. It's not often that we run into a Walmart that's not welcoming to RVers even if the site is posted for overnighting.

For most Walmarts that we've come across it doesn't appear that they have any interest in helping enforce the local ordinance. We've seen people literally overnight right in front of the signs. Over the years I myself have overnighted at a few posted Walmarts and never heard a peep.

We've only ever seen one location that actively prevented large vehicles from entering. There were low height clearance bars installed at every entrance of the complex with warning signs. Walmart was part of a larger complex and it was clear from the signs that the complex owners were trying to prevent trucks from delivering in improper locations and overnighting.

Lately our preference has been Lowe's. They close at a reasonable time, there's no traffic moving around them overnight constantly like Walmart, and there's tons of them around. Also they'll turn off the majority of their parking lot lights off overnight so it's a little darker than Walmart. Sporting good store like Bass Pro and Cabelas are good options as well for the same reasons. It's just harder to find them on your route because they're more spread out.

[intheburbs]

File under, "This is why we can't have nice things."

Too many idiots doing stupid/illegal things and ruining it for the rest of us.