Left over two years ago. Went to go see my former store a few months ago, which I hadn't seen since I left, and noticed that a bunch of high schoolers and slobbish-looking people (wrinkled shirt, belly showing, matted hair) had taken the place of all the trained, knowledgeable associates with a work ethic and drive. I had the impression that most of them wanted a quick buck while they chit chatted in huddles, stared down into their phones or browsed Pebble on the kiosks.
I went to three neighboring Sears stores and saw the same thing. At one of the stores, I didn't find a soul until I got to mattresses. They were all sitting on them including two with red lanyards (managers). Nobody bothered to greet me. At another store, I saw two younger male employees "dueling" with torque wrenches in one of the aisles in the tool department. At the last store, a group of young men were in a huddle talking about a wild party from what I gathered. What a nice impression!
At this point, I think that many (but not all) of the salespeople and other employees at Sears are "damaged goods" that other employers would not hire.