Regina Medina writes in the Philadelphia Daily News …
“Drivers from all over the country stay in the South Philadelphia Wal-Mart parking lot for a night or two – or five. They say they do it because the store’s manager lets them, because it’s free, because the area is safe and because they have no other options near the city.”
“They scratch our back, we scratch theirs,” Orvin Brown of Renton, Wash., said. He and his wife, Barbie, have bought bikes, groceries and other supplies in various Wal-Marts when they’ve stayed overnight.
“It is so convenient. We spend more money in Wal-Mart than if we stayed in an RV park,” Barbie Brown said.
A refuge for truckers
“Trucker Thomas Fletcher carried two bags of Wal-Mart groceries and supplies back to his truck, one of eight parked in a row. The trucks were idle and, although it was nighttime, the windows had sun-shades or curtains to keep light or onlookers at bay, allowing drivers to sleep or rest.”
Read more in “South Philly’s sweet spots.”
Photo: Orvin and Barbie Brown, of Renton, Wash., have been traveling around the country in their RV since 2005. They recently spent a couple of days in the parking lot of South Philly’s Wal-Mart. ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff photographer
Click on “2008 Wal-Mart Atlas” & “Wal-Mart “No Overnight Parking” Stores” for more information
