"I have never seen a normal tire shop use bar type, click type, or any type of torque wrenches to put on tire lug nuts"
Well Sir you are going to all the wrong half AZZ places!
Discount Tire hand starts the lug nuts then runs them up with a light setting on impact just enough to snug the nuts. Then they torque to spec in a cross pattern then they go in a circle for a final time. If the tire shop you use does not do that it's just being plain LAZY!
NO way would I let anyone use Torque Sticks!!!
As far as torque wrenches go, I would no way use an inferior torque wrench. Look on CL and Ebay. I bought two Proto torque wrenches that a guy bought for one Jeep project. I paid $100 each. I could not tell they had been used.