As a retired store manager/regional pre and post partner consolidation days I can say that it apparently appears not much has changed.
Still the same neglected stores, unappreciated associates and management running like rats to hide the truths from their own superiors.
One thing that always struck me was the focus on personality over performance. Didn't matter what you did, how you did it, what you and your team accomplished. What mattered is "were you liked?" not even by your team, but by senior management.
I gave the company my own blood sweat and yes tears. I can say that my teams loved me throughout because I was side by side with them had their backs and tried my best to ignore all the corporate nonsense, dog and pony shows, and of course outright lies and deceit that regionals and others encouraged to keep things quiet and not rock the boat. Years out of the game and I still receive correspondent from associates. Yes, we loved each other and even though "love" in the workplace is not PC...I loved and cherished my teams and was nothing without them!
Other than the phony preening regionals I found regional and corp. personnel and lp to be the worst of the worst. Never to be trusted and always, always! not to be trusted and to be wary of.
Listen, I wish you all well. Be smart. Do what is best for you and you will be doing the right thing.
At this stage of the game my advice would be to get out while you can, grab that 401 and transfer it to your own custody, retire if you can before the pensions are turned over to the govt. and you receive less than you thought you would as the Pension Guarantee Corp does CUT pension dispersal!s. If you can't leave? Do the least you can. It really doesn't matter in the end...what matters is you and your family.
Stay safe, be well and VOTE on Nov.3 and let's try to restore some sanity to our nation. Retail as we knew it will never come back, but perhaps we can work to save some other more important things in our lives and the lives of our children and children's children.