Perhaps I have an isolated incident, but I thought I'd share. I recently started commuting to Walmart to do my shopping (light shopping mind you.). The Walmart is about 5 to 6 miles down the road and has NO bicycle racks! So I walked right through the doors with my bike. I expected to get stopped when i came in; I was not riding it, I was walking it next to me. Nothing! Well, I walked my bike through the entire store, got what I needed, checked out, and came out. I then got stopped and got asked for a receipt for my bike. I explained I bought this bike from another store and I already owned it; Then I showed the gentleman my Sun and Ski sticker. Granted, I was in full jersey, still had my camel back on, and was VERY sweaty (it's Texas! at Noon!). He let me right past! No problem! I came back again the next day and still i got no problem! Is Walmart bike friendly? Sure, I got strange looks from customers, but I've never come in with wet muddy tires and never caused any havoc. I'm very careful to avoid hitting anyone with my bike, and honestly I believe I am more dangerous with a cart than my bike. I had to post this because I am very impressed by their attitude.

Waitaminute! Hold up they asked you for a receipt on either a '04 Marin Nail Trail, '04 Haro V-3, or '03 Marin Bolinas Ridge ? That blows my mind! The fact that they don't even recognize the crap they sell in their own store! Too much!

Haha I had my Nail Trail. It kind of cracked me up, too. I almost made a crack about the fact that if I would have bought four of their bikes I still wouldn't be near the cost of this one, but I kept my mouth shut by some act of god.

Raiyn, please tell me that you aren't giving Walmart security guards enough credit to know what Walmart sells. These guys see two wheels and a frame, and assume it must not have gone in with the owner.

Point taken. I assumed that they had more intelligence than a lawn chair but I suppose I was mistaken.

That's pretty funny!

I haven't biked to any Walmart in the area, but I've stopped by Target a few times (right next to my employer), and they have a very nice bike rack. The two Kroger stores I use both have bike racks (one is very nice and solid, the other one is cheap and crappy). No racks at the new and fancy HEB though. Wonder if they'll get the message if I bring the bike into the grocery store....

Sverre

If Walmart were really bike friendly, they would put some parking space for bikes. Better yet, a guarded bike parking inside the store.

Well, dang. I knew there had to be something good about Walmart

I've walked into quite a few food stores and such with my bike. Weird look from customers but nothing from the employees. When i go to classes (start again in september) I bring my bike with me in to class. I get questioned a lot about that. My response: "once this school gets a bike rack, I won't bring my bike in here".

That is how un bike friendly my area is, the local community college dosn't even have a bike rack...

Ray

I've ridden bikes around Walmart, filmed movies inside of Walmart, had a friend empty a freezer and climb inside for a camera shot, etc and we have yet to ever get kicked out... its pretty impressive how little the employees care.

I will never buy anything from WalMart. A freind of mine used to work there, and he told me about the brainwashing sessions that count as 'training' (headphones, computer video 5 inches from your face, headphones, and every few minutes having to answer a question...)

I dunno - just not something I would want to support. Maybe ride my bike through their store yelling at everyone to not shop there... but never buy anything there,,,

I'm slightly puzzled by the complaints of no bike racks. At the grocery store where I shop, there is no bike rack. I lock my bike to one of the sign poles (one of those poles that are about 2 inches in diameter) that directs traffic in the parking lot. There are poles and trees everywhere that I can use for locking up my bike.

Is the problem that you don't have the right kind of lock to use on anything that's not a bike rack? Or is there a lack of poles/trees?

Wouldn't they have a bike rack if they were bike friendly?!

There are things I could lock it to. At the grocery store there are some poles and stuff but just seems like a hastle because they are so thick. It's also akward to try and lock my front wheel to it also (after removing it). Also the ulock dosn't fit around these poles.

At my school all the light poles around campus have thick concrete bases which scratch the paint on my bike, so I prefer not to use them.

I think bike racks are much easier to use and bicycle friendly. Also when a bunch of bikes are locked up together it gives me more of a sense of comfort about leaving my bikes there longer, don't know why though. Guess it shouldn't matter.

Ray

My local Wally World has a old-style bike rack, which is not bolted down. It usually gets shoved back behind the extra carts outside. For a while, I would drag it up to where I thought it should be, lock my bike to it, and head inside. They never would let me take my backpack in, even though it is smaller than some of the purses ladies were carrying in.

So one day, I ride right up to the door, dismount, walk up to the greeter/security person, and inform them that, since I cannot take my pack in, and that they posses a poor excuse for a bike rack, they will watch both my pack & my bike. Worked like a charm, I don't carry a lock to WalMart any more!

The Walmart here in San Jose is located near an unsafe neighborhood. The parking lot is full of unsavory characters who test the handles of car doors to try to steal things. The employees are generally friendly, if a little dim. My problem is that there is no way I would lock my bike up outside, even in broad daylight. There are too many potential thieves in that parking lot. I'd come back to a bike missing everything which wasn't locked down.

I only go to Walmart for range ammo these days, so I just drive over before driving to the range.

I've put a huge number of dings in my bike's paint by locking it to stuff. I don't know if the bike racks i've used are any better than poles, though.

Luckily, i didn't pay anything for my frame, since I found it on the side of the road, so I don't care if I add to the many dings it already had.

I've walked my bike into the bank here, into thrift stores, and into the supermarket (safeway) and never been looked at weird by either an employee or customer. Everyone seems to "get" that I rode my bike here and its not leaving my sight. Maybe Reno/Sparks is just that cycling friendly? I'll have to try the wal-mart sometime, sounds like fun. Now if I was doing my shopping (my wife does that actually) I'd definitely keep the bike and the trailer together and with me, and do my shopping that way. I'd actually put the products IN the trailer and unload/reload the trailer at checkout. They don't like it? Find a different store.....

I thought all the Walmart customers were unsavory.

Ok, ok, I shop at Walmart too.

You're also in San Jose? Where do you ride?

No, I am in College Station, Texas, I was just making a joke about Walmart in general. The Walmart here sells tons of bikes, but it does not have a bike rack either that I noticed. Must be one of those cost saving things.

I walked my bike (a CX rig, used for racing as well, pretty covered up in goop in fall/winter) into stores, shopping malls, banks, etc. To date, no one has ever asked me not to. I make sure that I am not inconviencing anyone (bike blocking the path, etc) & say Hello or Bonjour to those who smile at me.
A few places do have racks outside, but also "teenagers" just loafing around the same racks too. I have gotten good comments about cycling & health. Only once, at a fancy shopping mall, a sales girl & her friend, the security guy, made an unfriendly comment, in French thinking that I could not understand what they were saying, I turned my head & stared right at them & that was the end of it.

I'm amazed you could walk a bike through Walmart. The one near us is so crowded that just walking through is a task in itself.

It's amazing what "long bike ride funk" can do.

Hah! So true! As for walmart brainwashing; it's true. I used to work there, and for a while would not shop there. But there's hardly an alternative! Target, but I've got other reasons I won't shop there.