Cities Crack Down on Wal-Mart Campers
By Maria Gaura
This story originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle
NAPA, Ca. - (July, 2004) - The parking lot surrounding the Napa Wal-Mart store is hot and windy, but after a long trek from Kansas City, it looks like home to the Jandle family.
Full-time RVers who live on the road with their two young children, traveling salespeople Kim and Robert Jandle frequently park their well- appointed, 34-foot trailer overnight next to a Wal-Mart store.
"We have stayed at many a Wal-Mart over the past year," said Kim Jandle, 34, who explained that the family returns to its house in Atlanta to do things like swap winter for summer clothes. "It's clean and safe, and there's usually one within a mile of the interstate."
They're seldom alone. Not just full-time road wanderers but vacationers, workers with killer commutes and even homeless people park for a day or two -- or longer -- outside the sprawling stores. In the Bay Area, however, where Wal-Mart's very presence has proved controversial, the welcome mat outside some stores is being rolled up.
For years, Wal-Mart has allowed travelers to park overnight, or even for a couple of days, outside stores for free. It's an unwritten policy that used to be passed just by word of mouth and now is spread on the Internet, too. "We consider it a courtesy to our customers," Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Sharon Weber said. "We think of our stores as a home away from home, and we try and welcome people when we can."
The welcoming attitude of the company, which has almost 3,000 locations nationwide, has been a boon to travelers of all stripes, from traveling salespeople like the Jandles, who sell RV cleaning supplies, to the seasonal flocks of Florida-bound snowbirds.
But in pricey California, with its soaring housing costs, the homeless, working poor and even middle-class workers are sharing the Wal-Mart lots with footloose retirees and vacationing families.
As worries about long-term encampments mount, more and more cities are forcing Wal-Mart to limit or prohibit overnight stays. Information technology specialist James Hirtzel, 32, parks his compact camper in a far corner of the Milpitas Wal-Mart lot several times a week. He used to sleep outside the Mountain View store but was recently asked to stop parking there.
"It was only five minutes from my job, but one morning I woke up and found a nice, congenial note on my windshield saying, 'Please don't park overnight,' " Hirtzel said. "So I left and started coming here."
Hirtzel isn't homeless. He and his wife own a house in Sacramento, and their combined incomes add up to six figures. But the couple have three children, and even with two salaries, they say they can't afford to live closer to the Mountain View pharmaceutical firm where Hirtzel works. So he outfitted a used camper with satellite TV and a Playstation 2, and spends most weeknights away from his family. "It's not ideal," he said. "But like a lot of people here, I'm trying to make ends meet."
New Mexico retirees Valhalla and Clarence Depillo hit the road in their artistically renovated school-bus camper this summer and have stayed in Wal-Mart lots throughout the Southwest. They had not encountered any restrictions in staying overnight until they got to California. "California is a profitable state, and the feeling is that you should have to pay for everything," said Valhalla, who creates costumes for actors at Renaissance Faires. "It is kind of stupid to ban overnight camping. I'm sure the merchants do profit from it."
In fact, the campers who stay at Wal-Mart tend to be intensely loyal to the company, buying something at every stop and even planning their trips around Wal-Mart locations.
A 35-year-old woman named Cory, whose family has lived outside the Milpitas Wal-Mart for almost two years since losing their home, says store employees have been unfailingly kind to her, despite complaints about her battered camper. She reciprocates by shopping exclusively at Wal-Mart. "They see me so much, they always ask why I'm not working there," said Cory, who lives with her husband and two young children and asked that her last name not be used. "The truth is, we have nowhere else to go."
The camping issue has become a sideshow of larger debates recently over whether Wal-Mart should be allowed to expand in such Bay Area locales as Gilroy and Contra Costa County. The company has about 10 stores in the Bay Area. Managers at about half the local Wal-Mart stores contacted said camping has been banned at their locations. Others said one or two nights would be fine, even while warning that police might ask campers to move along.
San Jose bans overnight camping at all retail locations in the city, a zoning rule that predated Wal-Mart's arrival in the city, spokesman David Vossbrink said. And Gilroy, which recently approved Wal-Mart's application to build a 24-hour supercenter, banned camping as a condition of approval.
"We had a problem with an encampment developing at the existing Wal-Mart store," Gilroy city planner Melissa Durkin said. "Garbage was accumulating, and campers were putting out permanent-type furniture like picnic tables. At the new site, there will be signs stating that overnight stays are illegal."
Those in the RV community warn campers that bad behavior will eventually force more Wal-Marts to crack down. Lists of Wal-Mart camping etiquette posted online urge people to be inconspicuous, clean up the area, check in with the manager and buy something at every stop. Campers should not unfurl awnings, put out lawn chairs or grills, or take up more space than necessary, the guidelines advise.
"When you walk up to my trailer, you can't tell if I'm there," Hirtzel said. "That's the way it should be. We don't want to lose this."
Rosalinda Jalique, 61, spends many afternoons listening to the radio in her small camper while her husband, Vincent, works full time in the oil-change shop at the Milpitas Wal-Mart. Jalique came to San Jose from the Philippines 32 years ago and raised her children there. But for the past two years, the Jaliques have lived in their camper, alternating nights at Wal-Mart with nights at their Catholic church and outside the home of her son.
"I like it here. It's nice, it's safe, and the security people are very nice," she said. "I go to the bookstore, I listen to music and read recipe books. I have a stove here, and I like to cook.
"And I always shop at Wal-Mart," Jalique laughed. "I get a 10 percent discount." Copyright 2004 SFChronicle
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written by Chiefsteve , May 17, 2013
Dear Rick Gastiger, I am native American and i like that people are getting along well except for you. Get off my land and go back to the communist country you came from. You are worthless to society you worthless piece of garbage.
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written by clara , October 27, 2012
My son has been tring to get on his feet for the last two years with two childern. They have a fifth wheel and were staying in the parking lot in Brea Ca. with permission. There was a notice left on the door this morning he had to take his son to school and had some job appointments and was going to address the notice this afternoon but before he could their trailor was towed. It's a sad would when people only care about the fact that have to pay or that some else is getting a free ride. When did we as Americas or humands stop caring about the hardship that are present in our own back yard. Don't worrt I'm going to take my house payment in the morning and get their trailor back. I'm ashsme to say after all i've read that I live in Ca. Where's your humanity?
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written by liz , October 15, 2012
I just spent the night. In my RV in the Walmart lot in Industry, CA. I got permission from the manager, who said I. was. wecolme to stay. Later security told me I.had to leave...so Iwent back inside to talk to the manager...still the manager said. I was welcome to stay. Later the security guard called the sherriff. The. sherriff came by and I.told him Ihad permission from the manager to stay. I went in again to talk to the manager with the. sherriff and the manager told the sherriff that I could rv overnight in the parking lot. I wonder if many of the Walmarts on the 'no overnight list' are there because of the cranky security guards. Bottom line ...you can stay at. Walmart if the manager says you can. Thank you Walmart in Industry, CA!
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written by Neale Haugen , July 30, 2012
I'm not poor, and I'm not generally a big fan of walmart, but I do like to save money when and where I can. I rather like the idea of putting those enormous parking fields to some use at night. For that matter why not charge like a dollar a night and then regulate who can stay and for how long? I'd personally like to use something like this to make a road trip across the country. It would save nearly $60 every night, which is a big deal. Extrapolate that to a 3 month trip and you've got $1800 more that you can spend on touristy stuff rather than just a hotel.
As far as abuse of this goes, there are people in the world willing to misuse/abuse pretty much any and every good thing. Does that mean we should do away with all the nice things in life? There's a reason we have police and such.
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As far as abuse of this goes, there are people in the world willing to misuse/abuse pretty much any and every good thing. Does that mean we should do away with all the nice things in life? There's a reason we have police and such.
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I think,that the Campers have no right to be camping at Wal-Mart begin with,what about other tourist have to pay for a Hotel,or Condo or even other campground,while they get to live in luxury and also one thing,I pay my Taxes and also pay my Rent,It is unfair for those people to live for free,last time
a child predator was camping in the parking lot with a younger girl in his Van,and no one didn"t know that wasn"t a Father and a Daughter,no wonder they won"t camp in the Campground,they don"t want to reconised,they could have been wanted by some state and get away with it.I say make it Illegal to park at Wal-Mart and let the States make some money from these cheapstakes.Get a life Wal-Mart.
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a child predator was camping in the parking lot with a younger girl in his Van,and no one didn"t know that wasn"t a Father and a Daughter,no wonder they won"t camp in the Campground,they don"t want to reconised,they could have been wanted by some state and get away with it.I say make it Illegal to park at Wal-Mart and let the States make some money from these cheapstakes.Get a life Wal-Mart.
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The working poor are definitely the last to see any part of the economic recovery. I'm not huge fan of WalMart, but they do know who their customers are, and I appreciate things like the free camping that takes the low-income folks into consideration.
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written by Davina G. , May 02, 2011
The finances of Wal-Mart customers have been pushed to the breaking point by the recession, and company CEO Mike Duke is prepared to take action. Increasing gas prices, increasing rents, and sagging wages and the increased cost of commodities have one customer after another “running out of cash,” according to Duke. Frankly, Wal-Mart is worried. I found this here:Wal-Mart customers are losing too much money, says retailer
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