Accounting For Merchandising Businesses

CHAPTER
6 Accounting for
Merchandising Businesses
Accounting
26e
human/iStock/360/Getty Images
Warren
Reeve
Duchac
Operating Cycle
• The operating cycle is the process by which a

company spends cash, generates revenues, and
receives cash either at the time the revenues are
generated or later by collecting an accounts
receivable.
• The operating cycle of a service and merchandising
business differs in that a merchandising business
must purchase merchandise for sale to customers.
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Financial Statements
(slide 1 of 2)
• The differences between service and merchandising

businesses are also reflected in their financial
statements.
• The revenue activities of a service business involve
providing services to customers.
o On the income statement for a service business, the
revenues from services are reported as fees earned.
o The operating expenses incurred in providing the services
are subtracted from the fees earned to arrive at net income.
Financial Statements
(slide 2 of 2)
• In contrast, the revenue activities of a merchandising

business involve the buying and selling of
merchandise.
o A merchandising business first purchases merchandise to
sell to its customers.
o When this merchandise is sold, the revenue is reported as
sales, and its cost is recognized as an expense called cost
of merchandise sold.
o The cost of merchandise sold is subtracted from sales to
arrive at gross profit, which is the profit before deducting
operating expenses.
o Merchandise on hand (not sold) at the end of an accounting
period is called merchandise inventory (current asset).
Purchases Transactions
(slide 1 of 3)
• There are two systems for accounting for merchandise

transactions: perpetual and periodic.
o In a perpetual inventory system, each purchase and sale
of merchandise is recorded in the inventory account and
related subsidiary ledger.
o In a periodic inventory system, the inventory does not
show the amount of merchandise available for sale and the
amount sold.
(slide 2 of 3)
• Under the perpetual inventory system, cash purchases

of merchandise are recorded as follows:
• Purchases of merchandise on account are recorded as

follows:
(slide 3 of 3)
• The terms of purchases on account are normally

indicated on the invoice or bill that the seller sends
the buyer.
• The terms for when payments for merchandise are to
be made are called the credit terms.
o If payment is required on delivery, the terms are cash or net
cash.
o Otherwise, the buyer is allowed an amount of time, known
as the credit period, in which to pay.
 The credit period usually begins with the date of the sale as shown
on the invoice.
Purchases Discounts
(slide 1 of 2)
• To encourage the buyer to pay before the end of the

credit period, the seller may offer a discount.
o For example, a seller may offer a 2% discount if the buyer
pays within 10 days of the invoice date. If the buyer does
not take the discount, the total invoice amount is due within
30 days.
 The terms are expressed as 2/10, n/30 and are read as “2% discount
if paid within 10 days, net amount due within 30 days.”
Purchases Discounts
(slide 2 of 2)
• Discounts taken by the buyer for early payment of an

invoice are called purchases discounts.
o Purchases discounts taken by a buyer reduce the cost of the
merchandise purchased.
• Since buyers normally take all purchases discounts,
Merchandise Inventory is debited for the net purchase
price under the perpetual inventory system.
o That is, the buyer debits Merchandise Inventory for the
amount of the invoice less the discount.
Purchases Returns and Allowances
(slide 1 of 2)
• A buyer may request an allowance for merchandise

that is returned (purchases return) or a price
allowance (purchases allowance) for damaged or
defective merchandise. From a buyer’s perspective,
such returns and allowances are called purchases
returns and allowances.
o In both cases, the buyer normally sends the seller a debit
memorandum, often called a debit memo, to notify the
seller of reasons for the return (purchase return) or to
request a price reduction (purchase allowance).
Purchases Returns and Allowances
(slide 2 of 2)
• The buyer may use the debit memo as the basis for
recording the return or allowance or wait for approval
from the seller (creditor).
• In either case, the buyer debits Accounts Payable and
credits Merchandise Inventory.
• Before paying an invoice, a buyer may return
merchandise or be granted a price allowance for an
invoice with a purchase discount.
o In this case, the amount of the return is recorded at its
invoice amount less the discount.
Sales Transactions
• Revenue from merchandise sales is usually recorded

as Sales.
o Sometimes a business may use the title Sales of
Merchandise.
• Assume that on March 3, NetSolutions sells
merchandise for $1,800. These cash sales are
recorded as a debit to Cash and a credit to Sales.
Cash Sales
• Using the perpetual inventory system, the cost of

merchandise sold and the decrease in merchandise
inventory are also recorded.
o In this way, the merchandise inventory account indicates
the amount of merchandise on hand (not sold).
• Sales may be made to customers using credit cards
such as MasterCard or VISA.
o Such sales are recorded as cash sales.
• Any processing fees charged by the clearinghouse or
issuing bank are periodically recorded as a debit to
Credit Card Expense and a credit to Cash.
Sales on Account
• NetSolutions sold merchandise on account for

$18,000. The cost of the merchandise sold was
$10,800.
Customer Discounts
• A seller may grant customers a variety of discounts,

called customer discounts, to encourage customers
to act in a way benefiting the seller.
• A sales discount encourages customers to pay their
invoice early.
o For example, a seller may offer credit terms of 2/10, n/30,
which provides a 2% sales discount if the invoice is paid
within 10 days.
Customer Returns and Allowances
• Merchandise sold may be returned to the seller

(returns). In other cases, the seller may reduce the
initial selling price (allowances).
• From a seller’s perspective, these are termed
customer returns and allowances, sometimes called
sales returns and allowances.
• In some cases, a customer that is due a refund has an
outstanding account receivable balance.
o In this case, the seller may credit the customer’s accounts
receivable rather than pay cash.
Freight
• The ownership of the merchandise may pass to the buyer when

the seller delivers the merchandise to the freight carrier.
o In this case, the terms are said to be FOB (free on board) shipping
point. This term means that the buyer pays the freight costs from the
shipping point to the final destination.
• The ownership of the merchandise may pass to the buyer when
the buyer receives the merchandise.
o In this case, the terms are said to be FOB (free on board) destination.
This term means that the seller pays the freight costs from the shipping
point to the buyer’s final destination.
• The seller may prepay the freight, even though the terms are
FOB shipping point. The seller will then add the freight to the
invoice.
Sales Taxes
• Almost all states levy a tax on sales of merchandise.

• The liability for the sales tax is incurred when the sale
is made.
o At the time of a cash sale, the seller collects the sales tax.
o When a sale is made on account, the seller charges the tax
to the buyer by debiting Accounts Receivable.
o The seller credits the sales account for the amount of the
sale and credits the tax to Sales Tax Payable.
o The seller pays to the taxing authority (state) the amount of
the sales tax collected by debiting Sales Tax Payable and
crediting Cash.
Trade Discounts
• Wholesalers are companies that sell merchandise to

other businesses rather than to the public. Many
publish sales catalogs with periodic price updates.
o These updates may include large discounts from the
catalog list prices.
• In addition, wholesalers often offer special discounts
to government agencies or businesses that order large
quantities. Such discounts are called trade
discounts.
• Sellers and buyers do not normally record the list
prices of merchandise and trade discounts in their
accounts.
Multiple-Step Income Statement
Single-Step Income Statement
Balance Sheet
• The balance sheet may be presented with assets on

the left-hand side and the liabilities and owner’s
equity on the right-hand side.
o This form of the balance sheet is called the account form.
• The balance sheet may also be presented in a
downward sequence in three sections.
o This form of the balance sheet is called the report form.
Adjusting Entry for Inventory Shrinkage
• Under the perpetual inventory system, the merchandise

inventory account is continually updated for purchase and sales
transactions.
• As a result, the balance of the merchandise inventory account
is the amount of merchandise available for sale at that point in
time.
• However, retailers normally experience some loss of inventory
due to shoplifting, employee theft, or errors.
• Thus, the physical inventory on hand at the end of the
accounting period is usually less than the balance of
Merchandise Inventory.
o This difference is called inventory shrinkage or inventory shortage.
Closing Entries
• The four closing entries for a merchandising business are as

follows:
1. Debit each temporary account with a credit balance, such as Sales, for
its balance and credit Income Summary.
2. Credit each temporary account with a debit balance, such as the
various expenses, and debit Income Summary. Since Cost of
Merchandise Sold is a temporary account with a debit balance, it is
credited for its balance.
3. Debit Income Summary for the amount of its balance (net income) and
credit the owner’s capital account. The accounts debited and credited
are reversed if there is a net loss.
4. Debit the owner’s capital account for the balance of the drawing
account and credit the drawing account.
• After the closing entries are posted to the accounts, a post-
closing trial balance is prepared, which includes the asset,
contra asset, liability, and owner’s capital accounts.
Financial Analysis and Interpretation:
Ratio of Sales to Assets
• The ratio of sales to assets measures how effectively

a business is using its assets to generate sales.
• A high ratio indicates an effective use of sales.
• The ratio of sales to assets is computed as follows:
Sales
Ratio of Sales to Assets =
Average Total Assets
Appendix: Periodic Inventory System
• Under the periodic inventory system, purchases are

normally recorded at their invoice amount in a
Purchases account.
o If the invoice is paid within the discount period, the
discount is recorded in a separate account called Purchases
Discounts.
o Likewise, purchase returns are recorded in a separate
account called Purchase Returns and Allowances.
o The sales of merchandise are not recorded in the inventory
account. At the end of the period, a physical count of
merchandise inventory on hand is taken and used to
determine the cost of merchandise sold.
o Freight paid is recorded in a Freight-In account.
Appendix: Closing Entries Under
the Periodic Inventory System
• The four closing entries under the periodic inventory system are as follows:
1. Debit each temporary account with a credit balance, such as Sales, for its
balance and credit Income Summary. Since Purchases Discounts and Purchases
Returns and Allowances are temporary accounts with credit balances, they are
debited for their balances. In addition, Merchandise Inventory is debited for its
end-of-period balance based on the end-of-period physical inventory.
2. Credit each temporary account with a debit balance, such as the various
expenses, and debit Income Summary. Since Freight In is a temporary account
with a debit balance, it is credited for its balance. In addition, Merchandise
Inventory is credited for its balance as of the beginning of the period.
3. Debit Income Summary for the amount of its balance (net income) and credit
the owner’s capital account. The accounts debited and credited are reversed if
there is a net loss.
4. Debit the owner’s capital account for the balance of the drawing account and
credit the drawing account.

Accounting For Merchandising Businesses

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Accounting For Merchandising Businesses

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CHAPTER

• The operating cycle is the process by which a

• The differences between service and merchandising

• In contrast, the revenue activities of a merchandising

• There are two systems for accounting for merchandise

• Under the perpetual inventory system, cash purchases

• Purchases of merchandise on account are recorded as

• The terms of purchases on account are normally

• To encourage the buyer to pay before the end of the

• Discounts taken by the buyer for early payment of an

• A buyer may request an allowance for merchandise

• Revenue from merchandise sales is usually recorded

• Using the perpetual inventory system, the cost of

• NetSolutions sold merchandise on account for

• A seller may grant customers a variety of discounts,

• Merchandise sold may be returned to the seller

• The ownership of the merchandise may pass to the buyer when

• Almost all states levy a tax on sales of merchandise.

• Wholesalers are companies that sell merchandise to

• The balance sheet may be presented with assets on

• Under the perpetual inventory system, the merchandise

• The four closing entries for a merchandising business are as

• The ratio of sales to assets measures how effectively

• Under the periodic inventory system, purchases are

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