No Match

The meeting lasted seven minutes, Roehm says. A "very nice" human resources manager collected her company badge, Palm Treo, corporate credit card, and, yes, Wal-Mart discount card. Then the HR representative escorted Roehm out a side door to the parking lot. Standing there in the sunshine, she recalls asking herself: "How do I feel about all this?' I sort of felt relieved."

It isn't often that the dismissal of a midlevel executive makes national news. But Julie Roehm is no ordinary executive. Before joining Wal-Mart, Roehm, 36, earned an edgy reputation as director of marketing communications at Chrysler Group (DCX ). There she famously agreed to sponsor an alternative half-time Super Bowl show. It was jokingly called the Lingerie Bowl and featured scantily clad models. After protests, Chrysler backed away. Given her colorful career, Roehm's hiring by one of America's most colorless companies always struck friends and industry insiders as odd. And few were surprised when Roehm and Wal-Mart parted ways.

Click here for the rest of the Business Week article on Julie Roehm’s ten months at Wal-Mart.