Now that we're retired, we no longer use Walmarts, but on occasion we did when we were working. I think one of our experiences epitomizes why a lot of people use them. We were travelling from California to Yellowstone and had two days to get there (1000 miles). I enjoy driving and doing a 500 mile day is not a big deal for me (back then). We had one of those drives where everything went well and the coach was running great. We stopped for dinner and I felt like driving some more. Putting some more miles on meant an easier/shorter drive into Yellowstone the next day.
We drove to about 7:00 pm which was 8:00pm Utah time, we had lost an hour. My wife started calling campgrounds, but we soon realized that we were approaching Provo, Utah and they apparently close down early, especially since we lost the time zone hour. We didn't want to just pull into a campground, with a DP and truck in tow, and wake others up.
As we drove into Provo, I spotted a Walmart. We pulled in, now about 8:30, and parked parallel to an island. I walked into the store, bought a couple of things and then asked the manager if we could spend the night. He was gracious and said no problem. I opened just my large slide over the island and we relaxed for the evening. We were out by 8:00am.
I think this is similar to what a lot of people do when they use a Walmart. We came in late, left small footprint in the corner of the lot and left early.
We have a Walmart about 6 miles from our house, right next to a Home Depot. I go there about once a week. There are no attractions in our area except for the Reagan Library. I usually go there during the day and every so often I'll see a ratty looking RV parked there for a couple of days. I know these are down on their luck people living in their RV's and are exactly the ones that will eventually ruin it for others. I don't like it in my neighborhood because I know what issues they bring to the area.
There should be no reason for an unattended RV at a Walmart during the day, unless they're shopping.
