Here is what the OP actually said, "When we arrived to look at the trucks, every single one of them had a sticker in the door jamb that showed a payload capacity of less than 1250#. Every one."
I believe her, as I have walked many a sales lot also. When I move to the area with the 250's and 2500's, the stickers go up considerably. I could care less what they tow with, and hope they save all the money that they can. Having said that, I also don't care if they tow 2,000 or 20,000 miles per year, every mile should be as safe and comfortable as possible.