It's been a tough year for Borders and its employees. Competition from the the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble have made it difficult for Borders to turn a profilt, and as a result, Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in February. That's no laughing matter if you're a Borders employee, just don't accuse the book chain of losing its sense of humor.

Amazon is at odds with the state of Texas over what the state claims is $269 million in unpaid taxes, which ultimately prompted the online mega e-tailer to close a distribution center in Dallas and cancel plans to build additional facilities in the state, according to a report in the Associated Press. The AP got its paws on an email sent to Amazon employees by Dave Clark, the e-tailer's VP of operations. In it, Clark announced the closing due to the state's "unfavorable regulatory climate."

In a note to investors this week, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said it's going to be increasingly difficult for Best Buy to compete with online retailers, CNet reports.

"We expect continued market share losses in consumer electronics to online retailers and lower-priced big-box competitors, and entertainment software to Gamestop, Amazon, and Wal-Mart," Pachter wrote.

Best Buy recently posted weaker-than-expected sales in a number of categories, including TVs, PCs, and videogames. Sales were down 3 percent from a year ago, though the brick-and-mortar electronics chain still made a profit of $217 million on almost $12 billion in revenue.

That means Best Buy doesn't have to go into panic mode just yet, but it should look to alter its strategy. According to Pachter, lower prices online undermine Best Buy's "widest selection of goods at premium price points."