[carpeperdiem]

Ah... this code does a 302 (just checked)

But that shouldn't matter, since the PAGE is indexed. The "category" is simply a placeholder for browsing. As far as I'm concerned, I DO NOT WANT the "hidden" category page indexed, nor do I want any link juice from it.
SO this works perfectly for my needs!
We link to the PRODUCT PAGE from many other places, and the ONLY URL people see is the CDSEO URL.

I am not convinced this is not a great way to merchandise certain products.

PS -- my PRODUCT PAGE is ranked sky-high for many keywords. ANd we have a relevant Sitelinks on goog and bing. Can't ask for more.