How catalogers merchandise a once-in-a-lifetime product

This spotlight shows a representative sampling of the positioning strategies for flutes featuring the year 2000 in their design.

To give an indication of what the new millennium means for retail in general, online auction house eBay had a whopping 168 pages of millennium merchandise at one point this December. In stores, online and in catalogs, everything from sweaters and tiaras to Fiesta Ware and candles were emblazoned with those four big numerals.