Money cant buy love, but it can buy friendship apparently.

While skimming through my daily dose of Britain's The Guardian, I came across this article Would you rent a friend? by Tim Dowling.

Wow. I'm not even really sure what I think about this new industry. I had a look at www.rentafriend.com to find out a bit more and here are a few examples of why you may chose to 'rent a friend':

• People who travel to a new city can hire a local to show them around town. It's always good to know someone from the area who can give you first hand information about where to go and what to avoid.
• Someone might want to see a movie or go out to a restaurant but don't have anyone to go with. They could "Rent a Friend" to go along with them.
• Many Friends on RentAFriend.com have unique talents and skills. They can teach you a new language, tutor you, share a new hobby, art, dance, and much more. It's also a great way to meet people of different cultures and religions.
• People who travel often for business that are looking to find local Friends to go out to dinner with, go to the bar with, or watch a sports game with. It's always great to have Friends in different cities.
• People who have an extra ticket to a sporting event or concert and don't want to go alone. They can "Rent a Friend" to go along them.
• Someone may want a workout partner for the gym. Renting a Friend to help motivate and spot you during your workout. It can also be a lot cheaper than hiring a personal trainer.
• Just looking for someone to give you personal advice. There are lots of people who just want to get real advice about a situation and it's always great to get an outsiders point of view.

I suppose these are all valid reasons for seeking a new friend, but hiring one - I'm just not sure about the whole thing. Unlike family, we have the ability to chose our friends, and if you chose to pay for the privilege I suppose that's fine too, but how about the friend you've hired? How much say do they have in the matter? I suppose they could always chose not to take your 'job'... How could you tell whether your 'friend' was really your friend or just after you for the money? I suppose the same can be said for some friendships though...

Hmmm, I can't help but find the whole scenario depressing, but maybe I'm just looking at it wrong.