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Wal-Mart, Ad Exec Singing Their Rendition of “I Feel Petty”

Written by Evan Schuman
May 26th, 2007

In the ongoing legal battle of former Wal-Mart marketing chief Julie Roehm against Wal-Mart, most of the accusations have involved inappropriate acceptance of gifts from suppliers. But the latest accusations–on both sides–seem to be really reaching.

Based on this Reuters story, Roehm countered the charges that she accepted advertising agency gifts by saying: Oh, yeah? Well, CEO H. Lee Scott get discounts on yachts, “a large pink diamond for his wife” and free airplane use.”

OK, so that’s not too petty, but it doesn’t address the charges against her. But then Wal-Mart counter-pounched with my favorite accusation: Wal-Mart accused the marketing chief of having accept a dinner from the ad agency. (pause for effect) One dinner? Maybe they mean a $50,000 wedding reception dinner? Nope. It “consisted of small, White Castle-sized burgers.” Maybe the courtroom will break into a rendition of the West Side Story ditty “I Feel Petty.”

Posted in IT Strategy/Industry
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One Comment | Read Wal-Mart, Ad Exec Singing Their Rendition of “I Feel Petty”

  1. Wayne Wood Says:
    June 2nd, 2007 at 7:59 am

    It seems that Wal Mart having started out life as a friendly philanthropic neighborhood business has become the ugly giant wishing to consume everything. From someone outside your country, it appears very much like the schoolyard bully used to getting their own way. Wal Mart should take an inward look at itself and re-read Sam Walton’s philisophy on retail.
    They more than likely sacked this lady because they couldn’t cope with change, and she probably found where the real problems lay in the organisation and they couldn’t handle the truth

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