I just a week back bought a new set of summer tires. When asking "I need new rubbers", he guy automatically first offered me budget end tires, and I had to ask for a specific higher tier tires myself.
They actually had a fun ad in the local paper a year ago: "We got cheap and good tires", followed by two separate lists "Cheap tires:" and "Good tires:".
I assume that especially the people looking to dump their current car in near future are a big segment looking to buy for "cheap" and "OK" tires, because it's not economically sound for the seller to buy higher end tires to be effectively given away with the car.
I guess a micro-economy thesis could be written about the overall ineffectiveness tire markets.
The reason for asking higher end tires btw was, that I allowed myself be fooled with low end tires the previous time, and those goddamn Daytons they imposed on failed me one tire at a time. I paid the price difference I initially saved in visits to the tire repair shop and hassle to get the tire fixed or replaced with a used one that the guy sourced a piece a time from his used tires junk demountable.