Nearly 10 months out of bankruptcy, Sears is limping into the holiday shopping season. The rescue promised by its longtime backer, Eddie Lampert, hasn’t materialized. Stores are closing. The ones that remain have the same old problems. They’re grungy and understaffed, poorly stocked and losing vendors. The ever-shrinking Sears means more job losses and fewer choices for shoppers and suppliers. But Lampert’s failure comes as no surprise to industry experts. He was the only buyer who offered Sears a lifeline and he had already presided over a long decline of Sears going back more than a decade.
