MSN Money

7 companies on the ropes in 2013

In this economy, only the strong thrive, and these big names look decidedly weak as we enter the new year. Consider the plights of Sears, Best Buy, Zynga and more.

By Michael Brush, MSN Money

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Speaker of the house.
Jan 8, 2013 11:57PM
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Competition is good for everyone, it keeps companies on their toes.  As far as trade goes, we need a more balanced situation than exists today.  People do not care if their mouse traps are better they just want them cheaper.  Quality and price usually go hand in hand, only problem being is the quality has gone from a lot of products.  Not everything from overseas is lacking quality and not everything made is the USA is always the best product available.  NAFTA was suppose to address this problem, but has been sort of lacking ever since.  Would be nice to elect some smart business people that could someday address this problem.  Sort of doubt much can be done in the interim.  Unions only seem to make matters worse but not always.  Then remember Bill Gates started microsoft in a recession!  Tax breaks for small business could and would help, still not much can be done about automation.  People will still be needed to fix the robots out there.  Steve Forbes will probably never run for office oh well.
dennis rideout
Jan 7, 2013 5:40PM
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once they tax online sales it will help companys like best buy
Bassplayer68
Jan 7, 2013 4:52PM
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The former CEO of Rite Aid built a really nice house in La Quinta, Ca. a few years ago with the MONEY he stole from the Company. Theft is the NEW Corporate American way!!! If you Ever play the Mountains Course in La Quinta look at the House ( built on 2 lots) behind the 14th tee box.. Yep!! it belongs to ANOTHER Criminal CEO..
bobbybeach
Jan 7, 2013 3:57PM
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I cant believe that the author never mentions the great recession in any of these ailments, especially Sears. I worked at Sears during those years and heard customers say " we would like to get a new fridge but our mortgage payment is ballooning next month on our adjustable rate and we have to cut back on spending". For this author to not mention the recession indicates to me that he is a moron and everything he claims in this article is suspect.
Burnie12345
Jan 7, 2013 2:58PM
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Bug-eyed Nancy Pelosi sez........"We need more revenue!" Hey, Nan, run that by me again!
Linwood Farmer
Jan 7, 2013 1:53PM
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How could you make a list of companies on the ropes and omit J C Penney?  They in just about the same situation as Sears.
A Human
Dec 27, 2012 10:42PM
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We call people like that sewer rats. If these analysts knew anything they wouldn't have their clients or hedge funds stuck with a possible 1 BILLION DOLLAR LOSS from shorting Arena.

Let's talk about efficacy shall we? 

Two Phase III trials of Belviq showed completers lost an average of 8% of body weight and responders lost between 11% and 12% of body weight in a year. The top 25% of weight losers lost an average of 35 pounds in one year.

Shush, don't let   Raghuram Selvaraju  find that out. I want to see him lose his butt shorting ARNA. 

And Raghu is wrong. 2 major insurances are already covering Belviq. Liar liar pants on fire.
Andy Baron
Dec 27, 2012 6:59PM
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This article states, "Arena's research shows that Belviq, used for a year along with dieting and exercise, helped people shed 5.8% of their weight, compared with a 2.5% loss by those using a placebo, dieting and exercise. In other words, after a year, only a 3.3% weight loss can be attributed to this drug."

This is not accurate. The quoted figures are averages that include the many subject who dropped out of the trials before completing a full year. Those who completed a year on Belviq averaged 8% weight loss. And in practice the FDA recommends continuing on the drug after 12 weeks only if you have lost 5% -- these "responders" lost an average of 11% in the clinical trials.
the blamee
Dec 24, 2012 3:37PM
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"Only the strong survive." How utterly quaint. Bet you say that to all the TBTF banks all the "Too Big To Jail" time.  Just so cute!
Texas.Rancher
Dec 24, 2012 2:57PM
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The Sears in Traverse City Michigan where I am right now .. had 3 people in it yesterday ...
Corporate Avenger
Dec 24, 2012 2:26PM
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I, for one, am tied of people complaining about excessive consumerism, and living above one's means, when it's the stagnant growth of wages and good paying jobs for the middle class, that have driven the economy in the dumpster ..... any debt that average wage earners incur is usually using a credit card to pay for the things they need to EXIST ... not for a new BMW or a trip to Aruba. During the good-times, the average american middle class family had about 9% of their monthly wages left after paying the bills, to spend on the "extras", like a new car once and a while, or college for their kids, and in many cases, they had enough benefits on their job to take care of medical bills. Due to the decline in pay increases, their paycheck has not kept up with inflation, and now they find themselves in the hole at the end of the month, just talking care of the essentials, so any unexpected expenses have to go on the card, and that balance is hard to get rid of, when you never have any extra cash. THIS is the reason that more people qualify for food stamps, more people are losing their homes, and the economy sucks. I have credit card debt, and it's substantial, but every charge was something I needed to EXIST ... there are NO big screen TVs on my statement. When I had a good paying job, I could afford to spend money at Best Buy and other retail stores, but like so many, I now only buy what I absolutely need, and a lot of that is at Walmart ... a store I boycotted for years and years, but now I can't afford to do business elsewhere. Anyone who thinks this downward trend is going to reverse course by electing ANY particular politician is an idiot, as an over-night fix to something that has taken decades to manifest, is just not in the cards. People who have money, make more money in bad times ... until they bleed everything dry, and you are seeing the effects, as the house of cards tumbles.
LEGALER IMMIGRANT
Dec 24, 2012 2:21PM
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As long as the US GANGSTER GOVERMENT keeps oppressing Business and Manufacturesr in the US with extortive confiscatory Taxation,  they will continue to relocate to other more business friendly countries!

That is why foreign made goods sell so well here in the USA!

 

THANK YOU WASHINGTON DC , US CONGRESS, US WHITEHOUSE, US SUPREME COURT; ALL OF YOU GOVERNMENT GANGSTERS!

 

Xdiemaker
Dec 24, 2012 12:15PM
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If the USA had import taxes equal to the import taxes  China has, and other countries also ,most of the foreign made products would not be cheaper and American manufacturing would be growing. As manufacturing actually produces something including other jobs (support industries) rather than being a service industry  which produces nothing ,supports very few if any other jobs, and drains tax dollars by the billions. We need the industry that built what we have back, I believe it is only thing that will save us and I blame our politicians for not imposing those taxes from the start... they were not looking after our best interest .
ddafternoons
Dec 24, 2012 11:57AM
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I'm going to best buy right now
Plains Blue Sky
Dec 22, 2012 10:12AM
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Amazon, which keeps gaining market share and still can't make any profits.
coupe486
Dec 21, 2012 10:24PM
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The big Banks have the billions. Unlike the oil, food Etc. who need people to buy there products. The Big Banks do not need people any more to make money. When the Glass-Sagle act got repealed in the Clinton days. The Banks went to hoarding all the money. Now they buy and sell on the market and receive a % on the transaction. So the Banks stopped handing out Job loans. No job loans, no work force, No cash flow and the housing market failed. And what happened  to the banks. They got paid for doing it with are tax dollars.     
Alwayslate54
Dec 17, 2012 2:02PM
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I walked into Sears Sunday for a battery for my wife's car. They told me it would be 2 to 2 1/2 hour wait. When I told the saleman I wouldn't wait 2 1/2 hours he basically shrugged his shoulders and then let me walk out. I went down the street and in less than a half an hour later I was done. I like Sears appliances and their home service but if they had their ducks in a row they could possible get a lot more of my business, not just the big stuff.  I don't usually go there for clothes and main household stuff because of Customer Service issues.    
Floating
Dec 17, 2012 1:28AM
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Sears lost its brand equity and identity years ago.
They have a choice to fix it now or Sears may disappear forever. Start with the website(s) - they are a flipping MESS!

Here's a suggestion for US stores: Get back to the original Sears roots and realize there IS a market for Made in USA and QUALITY goods at a reasonable price. None of the big dept stores have made that move yet. There are still enough Made in USA brands to market and sell with a profit. Stop Sears brand dilution and separate K-Mart and LandsEnd further. Treat your sales associates with respect and they will respect your brand.

Another suggestion: Stay away from anything political and controversial. When you have too few customers, there's no advantage in alienating any of them.

max sparticas
Dec 15, 2012 4:09PM
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Why isn't the GOP on this list ? The old white racist hate mongers are a dying breed, soon to go the way of the Neanderthals they are, un-able and un-willing to adapt to a changing world, just like the Confederates they will lose and the righteous and moral majority will prevail in the face of their evil deeds.
SRTdriver
Dec 15, 2012 3:20PM
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wow!! what a shock!!! everything's goin' so well!!!! of course they're on the ropes!! nothing but good news with this bastard osama at the helm, sure, why not give him king status, let's call him king osama at get this shiiiit over with!! this pig muslim bastard has destroyed business and all this is by design, so much for prosperity and employment increasing, the media has lied so much to protect this black bastard and what've you got to show for it?? a disastrous 4 past yrs and my God, I don't even want to think about the next 4yrs!!

 

a question that's interesting to ponder: why in the name of the holy and unholy would the leftwing loony idiots in the media want to protect an obvious anti Semite and anti Catholic and anti free market muslim bastards agenda? this nightmare will affect them as well, why protect a walkin' talkin' one man armageddon, just cuz he's the fist black pres?? first of all he's half white, let's not forget that fact, so we just let this blithering idiot fool destroy our nation because he's black???!!! meanwhile who's suffering the most BLACKS! that's who!! ah we're sooooo fcked!! toooooo fckked!!!!

 

and isn't this a kick in the head, it appears that quietly democraps 16 so far, are trying to either repeal obamacare in part or in whole!! how can this be?? well looks like the numbers being crunched show that their constituents will be absolutely hammered by obamacare once it's implemented in it's entirety, fancy that?!! what? now their afraid of re-election chances??and you'd never know it since it's placed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay​ in the back of newspapers, this nation is soooooo fckeed, soooooooooooooo fcked, thanx to the parasitic vermin and guilty white people, you deserve EVERYTHING that's comin' at 'ya!!

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