Wal-Mart's Jim and Laura: The Real Story

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CORPORATE OUTREACH.

While there is a Working Families banner on the Web site, nowhere does it mention that Wal-Mart has paid for the flight, the RV, the gas, and the blog entries. Jonathan Rees believes that such blogs are misleading. "They pay an unspecified sum to these people to say how great Wal-Mart is—I think it is deceptive."

It is well-known that Wal-Mart has bulked up on its public relations. Lately, the company has been working aggressively with PR firm Edelman to influence public opinion by going beyond mainstream newspapers and magazines and reaching out to new media and the influential world of bloggers. The company provides exclusive bits of news and even suggests blogging topics.

Laura says she doesn't feel like she's misleading anyone. In the week that they've been traveling, Laura also found it refreshing that she didn't run into a single disgruntled employee in the many Wal-Mart stops that she has made. "We have not experienced one negative comment, and it's amazed us," she says. The blog ended on Sunday, Oct. 8, when the couple drove into an undisclosed location in Georgia.

Gogoi is a contributing writer for BusinessWeek.com.