Why Celebrities Like Reese Witherspoon Show Up at Wal-Mart Annual Meetings

With its traditional fanfare, Wal-Mart on Friday put singers Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and Rod Stewart on stage at its annual shareholder meeting. Actress Reese Witherspoon even played host for the proceedings. If this weren’t an annual rite, one could be excused for expressing puzzlement over the forces that bring these big names together with the big-box retail chain. Wal-Mart has told MarketWatch that it doesn’t pay celebrities to perform, though it does cover their travel and other expenses.