Walmart / Generator???
We are planning a 2 week road trip this summer and will be stopping in some Walmarts for a quick overnight stay. Being summer our concern is heat and would love to bring our generator to power the AC...
Forum Discussion
Sam Walton never intended that the Walmart Parking lot become an overnight stay for the general public. The story that I heard from a senior Walmart manager was that Walton extended the courtesy to truck drivers of certain truck lines. Some drivers would pull into town and have to wait until morning to make a delivery. How RV owners got the sense of entitlement no one seems to know. I think it is a low rent thing to single out Walmart as the Go-To place for overnight parking. Emergencies do happen and sometimes a road weary driver is a danger to himself and others; I can see that. I say, plan ahead and make a proper stopover where RVs are welcome. Better than half of the Walmart stores across the US are posting restrictions. I know of some that have excluded trucks now as well. Good going; the abuse has now made it a little tougher on the professional driver.
So, let's say you find yourself in a Walmart or other parking lot that permits you to stay. The best etiquette is to follow 'Quiet Hours' as you would in an RV park or campground using the generator as necessary. If you have a buffer between your RV and others in the lot and any residential areas, go for it. Once we were stranded in a snowstorm in Pennsylvania. We made our way to a shopping center parking lot that had no homes nearby. Had to move twice to allow snow removal equipment to operate. I doubt that anyone could hear our diesel generator with all the snow around. Anyway, stuff happens and you have to go with the flow. If I know that I will need to have the AC going to get through the night, I would plan ahead and book a place with hookups. That being said, if Walmart is part of the plan, make doubly sure that it is okay and you don't get run off at 2AM by the local constable. All the Walmart stores around here are posted as tow-a-way zones. There were trucks and occasional overnight RVs. No complaints. It was the homeless in their broken down rigs that did it. Then there was a related homocide at the Walmart that is walking distance from my home. Got some shopping to do? Walmart is likely to have just what you need. Come sundown, you would be better off parking somewhere else.
So, let's say you find yourself in a Walmart or other parking lot that permits you to stay. The best etiquette is to follow 'Quiet Hours' as you would in an RV park or campground using the generator as necessary. If you have a buffer between your RV and others in the lot and any residential areas, go for it. Once we were stranded in a snowstorm in Pennsylvania. We made our way to a shopping center parking lot that had no homes nearby. Had to move twice to allow snow removal equipment to operate. I doubt that anyone could hear our diesel generator with all the snow around. Anyway, stuff happens and you have to go with the flow. If I know that I will need to have the AC going to get through the night, I would plan ahead and book a place with hookups. That being said, if Walmart is part of the plan, make doubly sure that it is okay and you don't get run off at 2AM by the local constable. All the Walmart stores around here are posted as tow-a-way zones. There were trucks and occasional overnight RVs. No complaints. It was the homeless in their broken down rigs that did it. Then there was a related homocide at the Walmart that is walking distance from my home. Got some shopping to do? Walmart is likely to have just what you need. Come sundown, you would be better off parking somewhere else.
