Merchandising Business
Merchandising Business
Merchandising Business
CHAPTER 4
ACCOUNTING FOR MERCHANDISING
OPERATIONS
Operating Cycle:
• Purchase merchandise from vendors for inventory on account or for cash
• Sell inventory to customers on account
• Collect cash from customers
• Pay cash to vendors
• Repeat again and again
• Note that these steps overlap so that the cash collections from customers may
occur before and/or after the cash payments to vendors.
Merchandise Inventory:
• Merchandise Inventory (Inventory or MI) refers to the goods the company has
purchased and intends to sell to others.
• Inventory is a current asset since the company intends to sell it within one year.
Inventory Systems:
• Perpetual Inventory System records all inventory transactions as they occur in the
Merchandise Inventory account.
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Purchasing Transactions:
• Inventory account is increased for the cost of the merchandise purchased plus the
freight cost necessary to transport the inventory to the buyer’s place of business
(FOB shipping point).
• Inventory is always recorded at the final cost to the buyer, purchase price less
allowances received from the seller and any cash discounts taken
• Trade discounts are deducted as part of the initial purchase transaction; they are
not a purchase discount.
Purchase returns:
• Inventory account is decreased for the cost of the merchandise returned to the
seller less any allowances or discounts already recorded in the ledger.
Sales Transactions:
• Inventory account is decreased and cost of goods sold is increased for the cost of
the merchandise sold.
• The freight cost necessary to transport the inventory to the buyer’s place of
business is an expense in the period of sale (FOB Destination). Transportation
Out or Freight Out are typical accounts used to record the expense.
• The selling price of the merchandise sold represents revenue to the seller and is
recorded in a separate transaction.
• Trade discounts are deducted as part of the initial sale transaction; they are not a
sales discount nor a contra-revenue.
Sales Returns:
• Inventory account is increased and cost of goods sold is decreased for the cost of
the merchandise returned by the buyer.
• Sales returns and allowances is increased and cash or A/R is decreased for the
selling price of the merchandise returned by the buyer.
ALWAYS KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE THE BUYER OR THE SELLER IN THE
TRANSACTION. SOME OF THE ACCOUNTS USED AND SOME OF THE DOLLAR
AMOUNTS RECORDED WILL DIFFER DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU ARE THE
BUYER OR SELLER IN THE TRANSACTION.
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Credit Terms:
• Generally take the form of 2/10, n/30 where
- 2 is the discount %
- 10 is the discount period in days
- n is the net (total) amount to pay
- 30 is the number of days after the invoice date that the net amount is due
• Only purchases are subject to the discount; transportation or freight costs paid by
the seller on behalf of the buyer are not subject to a discount.
• Cash discounts reduce the cost of inventory for the buyer (credit merchandise
inventory)
• Cash discounts reduce revenue for the seller (debit sales discounts, a
contrarevenue account)
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Purchase Transactions
When companies purchase goods they intend to sell to customers, the transaction is
recorded in the Merchandise Inventory account, a current asset. Inventory is recorded
at cost, which includes the price paid for the goods plus all necessary costs of getting
the inventory to the company’s place of business and ready to sell. The rules of FOB
determine whether freight costs are included in the cost of inventory.
Example 1: $800 of inventory is purchased for cash, FOB shipping point. In a separate
transaction, the purchaser pays $100 of shipping charges to the shipping company,
which are added to the cost of the inventory. Therefore the total cost of the inventory
purchased is $800 purchase price + $100 shipping charges:
Cash 200
Merchandise Inventory 200
Example 2: $800 of inventory is purchased on account, FOB shipping point. The seller
pays $100 to the shipping company on behalf of the buyer, which is added to the
seller’s invoice. The credit terms offered by the seller are 2/10, n/30. Therefore the
total cost of the inventory purchased is $800 purchase price + $100 shipping charges:
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A/P 200
Merchandise Inventory 200
When the invoice is paid within the discount period assuming credit terms of 2/10, n/30:
$800 purchase - $200 return = $600 merchandise * 2% = $12 discount
$600 owed - $12 discount = $588 paid
Practice Problem #1
Journalize the following purchase related transactions:
a. Jingle Co. purchased $4,000 worth of merchandise on account, terms 2/10, n/30,
FOB shipping point. Prepaid transportation charges of $200 were added to the
invoice.
b. Returned $500 of merchandise purchased in (a).
c. Paid on account for purchases in (a), less return (b) and discount.
Sales Transactions
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When companies sell merchandise inventory, the transaction requires two journal
entries: the first entry records the revenue from the sale at the selling price and the
second entry decreases the inventory account and records the expense of the sale
at cost.
Revenue (sales) is recorded at the time the transaction occurs, regardless of whether
payment is received from the buyer. Revenue is always greater the cost of the goods
being sold.
Inventory is decreased for the cost of the inventory sold, which includes the price paid
for the goods plus all necessary costs of getting the inventory to the company’s place of
business and ready to sell as noted above.
The rules of FOB determine whether freight costs are recorded as transportation out, a
selling expense.
The seller would record the examples in Purchase Transactions above as follows. Note
that the seller had a gross margin ratio of 20%.
Example 1: Inventory is sold for $800 cash (FOB shipping point. In a separate
transaction, the purchaser pays $100 of shipping charges to the shipping company.
The total cost of the inventory when purchased was $640 (800 –( 20% * 800)):
Cash 800
Sales 800 Cost of Goods Sold 640
Merchandise Inventory 640
Example 2: $800 of inventory is sold on account, FOB shipping point. The seller pays
$100 to the shipping company on behalf of the buyer, which is added to the seller’s
invoice. The credit terms offered by the seller are 2/10, n/30. Therefore the total
account receivable is $900 selling price + $100 shipping charges. The total cost of the
inventory when purchased was $640 (800 – (20% * 800)):
A/R 900
Sales 800
Cash 100
Cost of Goods Sold 640
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Cash 688
Sales Discounts 12
A/R 700
A/R 800
Sales 800
Cost of Goods Sold 640
Merchandise Inventory 640
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Practice Problem #2
Journalize the following sales related transactions.
Inventory Shrinkage
When a company takes a physical count of its inventory, should it reasonably expect to
find all of the inventory items present and accounted for? Unfortunately, this is not
always the case. Inventory could have been stolen (e.g. shoplifting) or damaged,
disposed of and not reported as such (e.g. the inventory fell off the shelf in the
warehouse, was damaged by the fall and was disposed of by the cleaning crew).
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Although companies try to protect their inventory through proper internal controls,
inventory losses or shrinkage still occur. Under the matching principle, these losses are
recorded as expenses in the period in which they occur to match them against the
revenue earned. Although the text suggests that they should be recorded as cost of
goods sold, in practice they may be recorded in a separate inventory shrinkage expense
account reported within cost of goods sold.
Example: The balance in the Merchandise Inventory account in the general ledger was
$300,000 before adjustment. A Physical Inventory was taken and the value of the
merchandise on hand was $294,000.
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Practice Problem #3
Using the format for the multi-step income statement, compute the following:
a. Calculate Net Sales and Gross Profit if, Sales are $375,000, Sales Returns
and Allowances are $32,000, Sales Discounts are $12,000 and Cost of
Merchandise Sold is $255,000.
b. Calculate Sales Returns and Allowances and Cost of Merchandise Sold if,
Sales are $750,000, Sales Discounts are $9,000, Net Sales are $736,000 and
Gross Profit is $310,000.
c. Calculate Sales and Net Sales if, Sales Returns and Allowances are $25,000,
Sales Discounts are $15,000, Cost of Merchandise Sold is $620,000 and Gross
Profit is $185,000.
Practice Problem #4
Journalize the following related transactions.
a) Purchased mdse on account from Blitzen Co., list price $20,000, trade
discount 25%, terms FOB shipping point, 2/10, n/30, with prepaid
transportation costs of $650 added to the invoice.
b) Purchased merchandise on account from Cupid Co., $8,000, terms FOB
destination, 1/10, n/30.
c) Sold merchandise on account to Donner Co., $9,800, terms 2/10,
n/30. The cost of the merchandise sold was $5,800.
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3. When a corporation sells merchandise and the terms are FOB shipping
point and pays the shipping costs, the seller would record the
transportation costs with the following entry:
a) Debit Cash, credit Accounts Receivable
b) Debit Accounts Receivable, credit Sales
c) Debit Accounts Receivable, credit Cash
d) Debit Merchandise Inventory, credit Accounts Payable
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10. The discount period for credit terms of 1/10, n/30 is:
a) 1 day
b) 10 days
c) 20 days
d) 30 days
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$1,300
d) Debit Cash, $1,800; credit Sales Discounts $36; credit A/R, $1,764
16. Assume that sales are $450,000, sales discounts are $10,000, net
income is $35,000, and cost of merchandise sold is $320,000.
Gross profit and operating expenses are, respectively
a) $130,000 and $95,000
b) $120,000 and $95,000
c) $130,000 and $85,000
d) $120,000 and $85,000
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20. Company A’s gross profit ratio has been steadily declining for 5 years
while the net profit ratio has remained constant. The most likely reason
for this pattern is:
a) Cost of merchandise sold and operating expenses have both
increased each year
b) Selling price and operating expenses have both decreased each year
c) Cost of merchandise sold and operating expenses have both
decreased each year
d) Selling price decreased and operating expenses increased each year
b) A/P 500
Merchandise Inventory 500
c) A/P 3,700
Cash 3,630
Merchandise Inventory 70
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4. A sale on account for $1,000 offered with terms 2/10, n/30 means
that the customers will get a $2 discount if payment is made within
10 days; otherwise, full payment is due within 30 days.
True False
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11. For inventory that is shipped FOB destination, title transfers from
the seller to the buyer once the seller ships the inventory. True
False
12. For inventory that is shipped FOB shipping point, title transfers
from the seller to the buyer once the seller ships the inventory.
True False
14. Gross profit equals net sales of inventory less cost of goods sold.
True False
Sales returns and allowances occur when the buyer returns the goods
or the seller reduces the customer's balance owed.
True False
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5,200 5,000
Revised Fall 2012 200
e) Cash
Sales Discounts
Accounts Receivable/Jangle 7,920 8,000
80
$5,000 sale * 2% = $100 discount
$5,200 owed ($5,000 + $200 shipping)
- $100 discount = $5,100 received
ved
Cash
Sales Discounts
Accounts Receivable/Comet
$10,000 sale - $2,000 return = $8,000 owed
$8,000 * 1% = $80 discount
$8,000 owed - $80 discount = $7,920 recei
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Practice Problem #3
a) Sales $375,000
- Sales Returns & Allowances (32,000)
- Sales Discounts (12,000)
Net Sales 331,000
-Cost of Merchandise Sold (255,000)
Gross Profit $76,000
Practice Problem #4
15,650
Revised Fall 2012
a. Merchandise Inventory 8,000 8,000
Accounts Payable/Blitzen
(20,000 * 25%) = $5,000 discount
(20,000 – 5,000 + 650 shipping) 9,800 9,800
d. Accounts Payable/Cupid
Merchandise Inventory 1,800
1,800
e. Accounts Payable/Blitzen 1,080
1,080
Cash
Merchandise Inventory
(15,000 mdse * 2% = $300 disc.) 6,000
5,940
60
f. Sales Returns & Allowances
A/R – Donner 7,840
Merchandise Inventory 160
Cost of Merchandise Sold
h. Cash
Sales Discount
A/R – Donner
(8,000 * 2% = $160 discount)
(9,800 – 1,800 return = 8,000 bal.)
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Merchandise Inventory
(85,000 – 81,350 = 3,650)
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