New Walmart Opens–45 minutes from Quartzsite

For RVers who look to Quartzsite as a good place to winter over, or even just drop in for a vist, shopping Walmart has gotten a whole lot easier. The new Walmart at Parker did it’s big grand opening last week, and while not wearing the sign that proclaims “Super Walmart” you’ll find most of what RVers look for right there on Highway 95.

What’s inside? A full size supercenter-style grocery takes a good chunk out of the store’s floor space. The layout is typical Wally, with the less-than-desirable produce section up front, followed by freezer sections, and on through dry goods toward the back wall where dairyland lives. From there, the store layout is different than the majority of Walmarts we’ve visited on the road. It’s a different layout, but it is a bit smaller than the typical superstore.

You will find the full-serve pharmacy you’re accustomed to, but things get a bit different from there. There is no lube and tire shop–although there is a fairly accommodating auto supplies section. Included in it is a full half side ailse of “RV related” stuff, provided you include hitches and balls in amongst RV goods. Other other RV items have been placed in odd places–we found some RV stuff on an end cap near the paint section; hopefully with time these items will find their way together.

Most of the other typical Walmart departments are represented at the Parker outlet. Admittedly, many of those departments are on the shrunken side: A crafts area covers a couple of aisles, but you folks looking for fabrics for your next sewing project will be disappointed–no bolts of cloth. Home electronics has a fairly large lineup of TVs and stereo equipment, and music lovers will find plenty of CDs. But if you need a wide variety in choices in home appliances, best to look elsewhere. There’s a “little bit” of most everything, but not a lot of choices. The photo center does have the self-service setup for making prints from your digital camera images, and photo processing is also on premises.

Absent from the Parker store, however, are the ancillary stores you’ve come to look for. No opticians, manicurists, fast food joints, or banks. The limited width of the front end of the store allows for only one main entry area, so you’ll soon recognize this is a ‘mini Super Walmart’ if such a thing is possible. Nevertheless, for many RVers, this Wally will beat the dickens out of a long drive to Yuma. And for those passing through, there are no signs prohibiting overnight RV parking.

Still missing your fast food? Don’t worry, across the street at the Safeway Plaza there’s a couple of outfits, and for our bet, Ruperto’s Mexican just south of Walmart puts together a great authentic Mexican lunch in very short order, and for a good price to boot.