If you work in one, you should at least be prepping for the worst. Everyone knows stores will start closing. Just assume it's sooner than later.
I have never seen an ARSMS fired. Several have been lately. Seems like there's a lot of pressure to put people on discipline down to the rep level. This makes it easier when the time comes to see who makes the cut.
In my area, store manager positions aren't being posted. Even if they are, it's a shell game as they move people around into those stores from other ones so the people they want to keep will be in a store that will stick around for a while. As these jobs are filled, the eventual position will post for another store where they might interview people to fill it, or just put someone in depending on the closure time frame.
Some people being surplussed are more qualified than managers remaining in stores. Surplus status should give any surplus employee preference against any equally qualified candidates for a position. All they have to do is shift people around until the open store is outside of a workable range for surplus employees to avoid any issues. No use bringing anyone back in if they are already on their way out because the name of the game is reduction.
My point being, look around. Are managers moving to different stores? If so, there is a calculated reason behind the move. I'm not bitter, but I can see with my own eyes how these store openings are being handled, and it's not by posting and interviewing.
Just be prepared before you get the call. Have an idea what you might want to do before you get that call. It will make things much easier. Also might not hurt to review your severance on one stop or through the union so at least you know what you will be looking at.
I am grateful for what I have gotten from AT&T over the years and look forward to something new.