[5] Huffington Post writer Tony Sachs pronounced the release one of the "top five boneheaded music industry moves of 2008",[6] while The Wall Street Journal wrote that it reflected the duality of "the liberal singer-songwriter and the commercial juggernaut recording artist.

"[7] Longtime Springsteen writer Charles R. Cross said that fans were now more accepting of such blatant commercial strategies given the overall slump in the music business.

[7] Nevertheless, the release did draw criticism from some fans as well as from labor union activists and independent record store owners.

[7][8] In response, Springsteen manager Jon Landau said, "[L]et's start with the premise that Bruce is already in Wal-Mart.

"[8] But then Springsteen himself, during publicity for his appearance at Super Bowl XLIII, admitted that they "dropped the ball" with the association with Wal-Mart, and attributed it to insufficient vetting due to too many activities going on.