Wither Our Economy?

I know "wither" in my title should really be "whither" but the point here is of decline, not discovery of location.
Awhile back I heard a radio article about folks that rent tires for their cars, probably on NPR. It seems that there is a company called Rent and Roll that will rent you tires for your car by the week. After some weeks you can keep the tires in their well worn state for gobs of money paid weekly over time.
Wait a minute!! People are RENTING tires? By the week??  What's going on here?  Are people becoming more stupid or more poor?? Have wheels and tires become fashion accessories that can be changed like a pair of earrings?? The article included an interview with one of the customers, a manager of a McDonalds. It is claimed that the average McDonalds produces $2.3 million bucks a year, so why does the guy who runs one need to rent tires?? Maybe he likes a different look for his car every week? Who knows. All very strange to me.
By and lage renting anything except beachfront houses by the week is for folks with no money or no smarts.
I think this is a sign of a declining economy more than anything else and that Rent and Roll is pretty slick in taking advantage of a sad trend. If you want cool wheels and tires, here is one place to get them, by the week if you so choose-
http://www.rnrez.com/#