WALMART RV Parking

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Shunpikers wrote:
Respectfully disagree. I think the RV parks are missing out on a potential market.
I, for one, would gladly pay a reasonable fee (no more than $10) for a quieter parking spot without the noise of traffic, shopping cart gatherers, and street sweepers. I just don't need even one of the services (not even the garbage can) so I don't want to pay $35 to $40 for them. The parks can have rules re what is allowed-generators, etc. I would also give those parks my business for the times when I DO want them.

You seem to imply there are lots of $10.00 options out there if one looks - Well, they're not obvious enough and, in many areas, non existent.

When RV park owners see RVs in the Walmart lot, they should be thinking, how can I get them to come and check out my park? Not - how can I stop Walmart from taking my business. The smart ones may decide to offer "FREE" parking outside their gates - with a free coffee in the morning while they show you the campground.

We're not at Walmart because we're cheap (RVing isn't cheap, after all).

Actually, when I see people staying at Walmart, I just think they are not my customers. Kind of like if you had a high end restaurant and saw a whole bunch of kids at Chuck E. Cheese, you don't think you could add a giant gameroom and suddenly have that business. The Hilton doesn't think if they just added a bunkroom, they could get those young people that stay at hostels or tent in the national forests. They are different customers. I put my time, energy and money into making my parks the best they can possibly be for my customers. I am not going to pivot 180 degrees and try to attract a different clientel, which the Walmart overnighter would be. Concentrating on business you do not have, at the possible expense of your current customers is usually a very bad business decision. BTW, if you think there is a vast market for $10.00 RV sites and that there is vast profits to be made with that business plan, start some parks, I can pretty much assure you that you won't have much competition.

But you are failing to realize that many of the so called Walmart overnighters also stay at RV parks when they get to their destinations.

As to business plans involving RV parks, I found out a long time ago that were I to buy a RV park, or campground, that I was just buying myself a full time job and and very big money pit. I looked very seriously at two of them.