Is it ok to park your car and sleep in a Wal-Mart or other parking lot?

Question

I am on unemployment and really don't have enough money for a hotel or room until I start working again. I don't want to stay with homeless people either. I do take a bath and shave.

Answer 1

YES its perfectly fine unless you're in a fire lane or handicap zone. i mean have you seen the people before christmas or when all the crazy people slept outside to get video games or something?! they were never in trouble so yes if thats what you gotta do then i say DO IT! :P

Answer 2

You may want to look into local services that may provide parking spaces to be used as temporary housing.  In Santa Barbara, CA there has been an influx of residents losing their homes and being forced to live in their cars.  Churches and local shopping centers (most with locked gates) have opened their lots at night for people with vehicles to come and sleep.  They provide their bathrooms for washing and personal use and there are some that have areas to walk dogs.  

Start calling local churches or your City Hall.  Ask about these types of services so you can stay in the comfort of your vehicle and not worry about anything happening to your belongings since you are right there.  

Good luck and I hope your situation turns for the positive soon!

Answer 3

Then how do you use Yahoo! Answers?

Whatever tool I were using to get Internet access, I would sell, and get more money.

Answer 4

"Because, you see, Wal-Mart let you sleep in their car parks for free.

I set off to research this book in a battered 1983 Dodge campervan, but with petrol prices soaring it soon became clear that I wouldn’t have the money to pay for camp-sites for the 13-week trip. So, I started joining the little communities of freeloaders who park up and sleep in Wal-Mart car parks. It turned out loads of people did it, and while I met some strange and scary characters in the night, at least I stayed on budget!"

Hey, found this on Amazon, they are interviewing Brain Schofield.

It sounds like you can to me.

Answer 5

I'd keep it discrete and move the car from day to day so no one thinks it's abandoned and calls the police to investigate only to find you in it but the worst they could say is to move along, I suppose

Answer 6

I'd check to see if there are "no overnight parking" signs first.  Otherwise, I see no harm done by it.  People do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas sales and no one's arrested them for it...

Alternatively, you can park across the street from a big condominium or apartment complex...  

If residents / police come to you to complain or ask what you're doing, just point at the building and say "The wife kicked me out again... and she won't let me sleep on the couch either! Want me to prove I live there? Go fetch my wallet from the wicked witch yourself!"

Answer 7

I don't think there would be any problem with that.

Though, as someone else mentioned, I find it hard to believe that you manage to access Yahoo Answers if you don't have a home, unless you have a laptop or you are logging on from a public library.  If you have a laptop, then maybe you could sell it and put the money into a fund for a new place.

Answer 8

Every 3 months I have to take a 10 hour road trip and after 6 hours, I pull over to a Walmart SuperCenter, or the front parking area of a decent hotel and sleep for 3 hours. I can't see why this wouldn't work for you. I have also parked on residential streets in middle to high income areas where it is a bit safer. Just try to conceal the fact that your sleeping in there as best as possible. I have a jeep and my back seats fold down enough to be the size of a small twin bed, so people mostly can't see me. Sometimes though, I just recline the drivers seat all the way back. I hope your situation improves!