A Walmart parking lot pole in Maine has become famous. Why? Because drivers keep hitting it.

The Walmart pole in Auburn, Maine (Photos by Makayla Irene Roberts and Lexi Doak)

There's just no explaining why cats purr, what causes lightning strikes, and why drivers keep hitting this pole in a Walmart parking lot in Maine, reports Steve Annear of The Boston Globe. "One theory is that the bright yellow pole is secretly a magnet, using its powers to pull cars directly into a collision course. Others have suggested that the ordinary stop sign bollard would make a perfect plot for a Stephen King novel, given its location in his home state of Maine, about an object possessed by the spirit of a disgruntled driver seeking revenge."

True, the actual reason "people have repeatedly hit the notorious road marker are probably more mundane: poor design, distracted and impatient drivers, motorists miscalculating a turn," Annear opines. "But that’s poor fodder for the memes, jokes, and buzz surrounding the Pine Tree State’s newest — if unofficial — tourist attraction. . . .The pole stands in a parking lot near the front of a Walmart store in Auburn."

There's also no explaining the creative things humans do. "People are now driving to the sign, hopefully without incident, to take selfies with it. A 9-year-old girl went viral after asking her mother to make a pit stop at Walmart for her birthday and sharing a picture online," Annear adds. "Someone made a five-minute YouTube documentary about the history of the many collisions. And a Facebook group dutifully documenting the crashes, appropriately named 'The Auburn Walmart Pole Strikes Again,' has ballooned to more than 7,000 fans and followers."

Even in death, the pole gets attention. "The pole’s treacherous reputation even earned it a mention in a Maine woman’s obituary," Annear writes. "When Janet Morse died in 2021, her family didn’t ask for floral arrangements. Instead, friends were directed to 'donate to the removal of the notorious Auburn Walmart pole that has led to the needless destruction of countless vehicles.'”

Auburn Police Chief Jason Moen told Annear that police have responded to an astounding 130 crashes at the scene since 2020. And like many villains, "the infamous Walmart pole" has an accomplice. Moen said there is actually a second pole that has also been involved in crashes. Both are at the end of parking rows near the front of the store. Moen told Annear, "We’ve had cars roll on their side after hitting the pole, somehow one car ended up on top of the pole (we could never figure out how that one actually happened.) . . . Their magnetic pull is apparently too strong."

Annear continues, "The poles have been painted bright yellow, and surrounded by concrete barriers. According to News Center Maine, bright red-and-white lights were added to the stop signs. . . . Some are skeptical it will help. Nothing seems to, after all. . . . Just a few days later, someone reportedly smashed into the Jersey barriers surrounding one of the poles. The pole itself, now capable of causing damage without sustaining it, appeared unharmed."

And finally, "A manager at the store contacted by the Globe said they couldn’t talk about the sign’s apparent powers of attraction," Annear added. "And referred a reporter to Walmart’s media relations team, which did not return a request for comment."