I don't think it was vandalism because someone would have had to crawl under the car to shoot that staple in there since it's on the inside of the tire.
get a quote from tire rack, if bridgestone won't budge. some tires come with road hazard warranty, have a look in the package you got with the car.
There's typically no road hazard warranty on the original tires on the car, usually just defect warranty. A staple in sidewall sounds like road hazard, maybe just let go and get it replaced. Dealership's quote is way out of line, and you're under no obligation to go through them. If you have Costco membership I'd go through them, otherwise any tire retailer will work, and a lot cheaper. With 4400 miles on odometer you should be ok just changing one tire; tread depth difference will be trivial.
I don't think I'll be getting any snow this weekend. I could be getting deluged with rain though. It looks like the Merced river will flood up in Yosemite. I'm good for flooding. I built my house up on a big rock. But, I do tend to lose my power during storms. I'm ready. My house backup batteries are charged. My flashlights are ready. I just wish I had my internet set up to work with the power outages. I didn't plan for that in my emergency backup system when I built the house. I rarely get snow. I've had this place since 1997 and I've only had snow six times? Something like that. Only once did it hang around past 11AM in the morning.
Tire Rack, Walmart, Sams, Cosco were about the same price after installation, shipping, road hazard, and tax. Plus you can take it to any store and watch them destroy your rims in an air conditioned environment. Sam club has better mechanics, by far, for tires. they have be out of prison for over 12 months. If you have a local tire shop/mechanic you can trust that is great, but on the road that is a problem. Son had a nightmare that I was locked up in a VA hospital. Yep not long eh! Problem is I would need someone to sneak me a drink now and then.
Not my Sams Club! I wasted a day when the broke a wheel stud on my Tundra by tightening too much. I needed to go to the tire shop up the road from them to get it replaced and then back to Sams for paperwork to get my repair cost back.
Had that happen at Walmart. They refused to fix it and sent me packing. Studs are easy to replace on most cars.