Walmart RV parking app

tropical36 wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Matt_Colie wrote:
To those that do not approve of overnight parking at other than a designed campground (or often cramp grounds), I have this comparison to offer.

Do you often spend money on a meal to leave it on the counter?

If we are traveling in a self-contained unit, and we want a quiet, more or less level place to stop for the night, should we have to pay for a pool, a weight room, a kids play yard or a bathhouse? I don't think I need to do that.

The places we choose to ONP are convenient to out planned route. As we don't need to get to an office, our arrival time is never an issue as is also not our departure time. Some states still have rest areas along the highway, most are pretty. Tennessee or Kentucky (I would have to go back to trip reports) has plowed a bunch of their rest
areas in. We now drive right through there too. That is unless we find a good flat place off the highway.

Back in our days when the vehicle was not self contained we bought nights at a campgrounds that fixed out current attitude. One time we got off the highway and drove 6 miles through the hinterland to pay for a place that was so tight we had to be careful opening the car's doors. We hadn't heard of slides. We were also back next to the highway we had left, but long side a grade where the trucks were either powering up the slope or Jake-braking down the other way - All Night Long. And, this place was not cheap. Our dog really did not appreciate the play yard or pool either.

Now, we stop where we like. If it is a business that we can patronize, then we usually do. We used to like the Cabela's in Hammond (IN). DW like to shop for interesting bargains when we did. Then the local law enforcement chased us out one evening. We haven't spent any money there since.

Some years back, a lady in the state of Maine was pushing a law that made over night parking of RVs outside of campgrounds a violation. That was the year I had planned to take the coach east. I cancelled a grand tour but we went and visited family and friends. We flew in and borrowed (you didn't want to rent a car in Rhode Island) a car and stayed with family and left behind almost no money. We spent that money in other states. The law got changed. Move championed by the lady that started the first law, but the plan has not been revived.

There are lots of ways to find free ONP. We tend to use all the sources listed. With demise of the good underway navigators of Streets & Trips and Street Atlas, it takes a lot more doing now, but we still manage.

Matt

You sure are hateful towards an entire industry that does nothing but provide services to RVers. Over the years we have provided service to hundreds of thousands of guests. Many of those guests return time and time again. Seldom do complaints arise and those that do are most often of a very minor nature.
But like most things, you tend to get what you pay for. If you always seek out the lowest cost provider, you are likely to get the lowest level of service.
If staying in parking lots fills your needs, no problem. But constantly berating those people who don't want spend their nights in the midst of Walmart shoppers as well as always slamming Private RV Parks that provide services the vast majority of RVers seek just reeks of someone angry at the world. In your brief post you apparently hate RV Parks, Cabelas, the police, truckers, the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Maine and Rhode Island. You are upset that two publications went out of business. Perhaps the problem isn't all those entities but rather the image you see in the mirror.

I think he's just calling it, the way he sees it. Not knocking park owners in general, but you must understand, it's like any other business and with no guarantee that you'll do well, with many preferring other types of service. Many times with an overnight stay at a Walmart, we've spent upwards of $200, by the time we fueled up and resupplied. I mean they do have an excellent camp store and if you like restaurants, there's usually one in the same strip.
As for RI campgrounds, don't even get me started....
Being that you're Montana, let me say that I love this state for travel, but again, you do what you gotta do, every once in a while. For instance, we stop in Billings and call the KOA. Are you kidding me with those prices and because they were the first KOA, if that might have been the reason? Anyway off to Walmart it was and with arriving at a scene, I'll never forget. Even took some pictures. I mean there were RV's of every description in there and security with his amber bubble top a flashing, was helping them to park....lol Never seen anything like it, in any of the lower 48!
On an opposite note, we found some campgrounds along Flathead Lake that were great and reasonably priced. Inside Glacier NP, the amenities were sparse and the rules were strict, but can well understand that, so no complaints and well worth the beauty of that place, which is on my list of favorites. Beside, there's an abundance of full service CG's outside the park, if that might suit one better. We didn't have a toad then and liked being near the bus stops and bicycle paths. Point is and again, the mom and pop and private owners missed out
All in all, I haven't seen that many RV parks fail and closed up, like so many restaurants and other businesses. Many in the first year, at that, so really don't think that it's all that bad for attracting travelers, if it's nice and reasonably priced.
Actually on average, I don't see all that many RVeer's in a Walmart. Billings MT being an exception of course. As for these type threads and people becoming hostile with another's choice, I've found it's the anti-Walmart people, that are most guilty and they can't all be park owners.

The difference between your post and the one I commented on is you are not openly hostile to every situation that didn't meet your wants and desires. You found the RV parks in Billings too expensive, so you made a choice to stay elsewhere. No Problem. But it didn't upset you to the point you crossed Montana off the list of states you would ever spend a penny in.
At Glacier Park you chose to stay in the park and accept the restrictions placed upon you. You didn't rant and rave that they wouldn't allow you to do whatever you want to do. You also noted that there were an abundance of private parks, but they didn't offer the access you needed because you didn't have a towed. However you didn't chastise them for somehow not providing that access like it was their fault there isn't direct trail access, bikeways and sidewalks connecting those parks to the various town and park amenities.
I do have one minor disagreement with you. What you spend at Walmart, in my way of thinking, doesn't mean you weren't trying to be thrifty and that it somehow proves you weren't making a budget decision. People stay at Walmart primarily for one of three reasons, to either not disturb others by arriving late and/or leaving early at a Park, The unavailability of alternative options, or mostly, to save money.
When you chose to not stay at a Billings RV park due to price and chose Walmart instead, it was a financial decision. If you spent $200 or even $2000 at the Walmart, the reason you stayed there didn't change. And that money you did spend would almost assuredly been money you would have spent anyway. I seriously doubt you spent $200 on things you did not want, didn't need and wouldn't use just because you wanted to feel good staying there. You would have spent that $200, probably at a Walmart, anyway because it was spent on items you would have to purchase regardless of where you stayed. Using that $200 purchase as evidence you somehow weren't making a financial decision is making a disingenuous statement.