Well that's nice of them

That wouldn't signal any virtue, now would it?

What happened to sears employees?

They got laid off, some with no notice. The company had been discussing downsizing when they declared bankruptcy instead. A business I used to work for years ago did that and there was a class action lawsuit from it. It’s still not settled and it’s been probably 6 years.

If you worked for Sears and didn't see the writing on the wall, and got blindsided somehow, it's also kind of your fault. Everyone knew Sears was dying a slow death years ago.