[jb92563]

I feel like the era and pool of people doing things yourself is shrinking.

I my opinion its somewhat due to all the single mother raised kids, boys in particular that are not getting that male guidance or skills and passing on the confidence to DIY on most things.

I've seen it first hand with some step kids that were clueless, helpless cry babies. After a few years of influence they knew how to use tools and started to enjoy making stuff on their own.
After watching/helping me do some bloody knuckle wrenching they were not adverse or afraid of shedding a bit of blood, sweat and tears either.

My Dad passed on the knowledge, skills and tips that I in turn passed on.

I guess we all need to pass on our skills and values as well to keep the skills for DIYers alive.

As for the stores, there aren't enough DIY types looking for employment in these stores for them to have knowledgable staff so I would not trust them for anything more than reading the label when you forget your reading glasses.

You still have to decide what is suitable for your application yourself in any case.

How many of you have kids and step kids that you have not passed on the DIY skills and mindset?

We have no one to blame for the unskilled employees but ourselves since the people you are talking about are your children.