The "retail apocalypse" makes for catchy news headlines but the situation isn't so simple. The extreme level of competition and easy access to information on the internet has made retail a difficult business. But in no way is the industry dying overall. The internet has been around for 20+ years and 90% of total retail sales still go through brick and mortar stores. Smart retailers who listen to the customers and invest in their businesses are still growing and have a future. It's the stuck in the past, no investment in stores, poor customer service retailers that are dying all around.
Sears Holdings is certainly doomed. The company refuses to make any significant investment in the business and completely ignores what customers actually want, instead providing a mediocre reward program with overall lousy customer service. It's a strategy based on the Eddie Lampert fantasy of a low expense high profit business. He's letting the company fall apart while babbling about "transformation". His deluded approach to the business has no chance of success. And he can't be fired since he controls half the stock shares. Failure of Sears/Kmart retail is just a matter of time.
Certainly Sears Holdings employees should get out while they can, but they don't necessarily have to leave the industry. There are still growing companies with a future. Sears Holdings just isn't one of them.