Regarding the ASM getting the chop: Demos, in his thankfully short tenure as CEO, announced that certain hourly leads were safe, but their positions would be lost through attrition. The same was said of ASMs; through attrition, most stores would drop down to one ASM. We all knew how the hourly leads fared. Of course, Demos is no longer running B&N, and instead is perusing Indeed and Glassdoor (which is, of course, capital) and Len Riggio is calling the shots. I myself think that the ASMs are next on the chopping block. In terms of running a store, compared to, say, receiving managers, ASMs are pretty small beer.
Well said @X6tr9Tc-3mtm . Felt that this deserved to be reposted.