Sales by Product Line

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Sales by Product Line [Abstract]

Sales by Product Line

Note 10. Sales by Product Line

The percentages of our net sales by product line were as follows:

Type	Introduced	2015	2014	2013
Fasteners(1)	1967	38.3%	40.2%	42.1%
Tools	1993	9.5%	9.3%	9.2%
Cutting tools	1996	5.6%	5.5%	5.4%
Hydraulics & pneumatics	1996	7.2%	7.2%	7.3%
Material handling	1996	6.5%	6.1%	5.7%
Janitorial supplies	1996	7.5%	7.3%	7.0%
Electrical supplies	1997	4.7%	4.7%	4.6%
Welding supplies(2)	1997	4.7%	4.7%	4.5%
Safety supplies(3)	1999	13.9%	12.8%	11.2%
Metals	2001	0.5%	0.4%	0.5%
Direct ship(4)	2004	0.4%	1.0%	1.5%
Office supplies	2010	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Other		1.1%	0.7%	0.9%
		100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

⁽¹⁾ Fastener product line represents fasteners and miscellaneous supplies.

⁽²⁾ We do not sell welding gases.

⁽³⁾ The safety supplies product line has expanded, as a percentage of sales, in the last several years due to our industrial vending program.

⁽⁴⁾ Direct ship represents a cross section of products from the remaining product lines. The items included here represent certain items with historically low margins which are shipped directly from our distribution channel to our customers, bypassing our store network.