I know what you mean Nate, but they probably used a older balance machine. The old school one I originally learned on would have you add weights like that. The new Hunter machines are much nicer and have road force variation and would tell you to have the weights next to each other. They will tell you if the tire is out of round, has a heavy spot, has a pull and will tell you where to position all 4 tires on the car to eliminate tire pull. They will also tell you if the rim is bent and probably several other things I can't remember at the moment. The point is, only good tire shops and dealers have the money for these machines.
I learned how to use these machines back in 2000 when we got one at the Lexus dealer I was working for. I moved to Toyota again a few years later and got to teach everyone at that dealer how to use it when they got one. My team leader had the hardest time learning how to use the new Hunter machine - I told him you could play PacMan on it and I think he still believes me!