#1038 Factory Qualification

I’ve always been fascinated by the way certain words roll off the tongue. How with just a simple turn of phrase you can imply so much.
The other day I was listening to a radio commercial. The key phrase that caught my attention was the term “factory quality.” As in, “we always use factory quality parts.”
What does that term mean? It’s been a long time since anyone made a part for anything mechanical outside of a factory. So isn’t just about any part factory quality? I mean, it just seems like a wide range of quality is involved here.
Now I know there are still some machinists left who will make a specialized part from scratch for custom applications. And you pay a premium to have that done.
There’s another word—premium. In this context, it means you are paying a lot more. So why is my insurance bill known as an insurance premium? Does that imply I’m paying more than I should?
And what is the discounted premium they offer from time to time? Is discounted premium the same thing as saying normal price? Yeah I marked it up 100% but its 50% off, so there you are.
And why are gifts I get from companies whose products I use frequently also known as premiums. I am confused.
Even more so because saying “factory quality” doesn’t really say anything at all. It’s like saying a place is having an inventory reduction sale. Don’t all sales lead to inventory reduction? It’s like having an open for business sale.
Or a store sign that says, “Open for Business.” What else would you be open for? I’m open to have you watch me sitting around. This store is for display only.
Why would any retailer have something “for display only?” I wonder, are they only taking orders on it or have I accidentally wandered into an art gallery?
I went to one of those once, but the art was for sale, so even though it was on display, it was available for a premium price. They said the price was higher because the items were hand-crafted.
Which, apparently, was the opposite of factory quality.
America, ya gotta love it.