Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Feb. 12, 2023

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Policies

Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco or the Company), a Washington corporation, and its subsidiaries operate membership warehouses based on the concept that offering members low prices on a limited selection of nationally-branded and private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories will produce high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover. At February 12, 2023, Costco operated 848 warehouses worldwide: 584 in the United States (U.S.) located in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, 107 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 31 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom (U.K.), 18 in Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 14 in Australia, four in Spain, two each in France and China, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The Company operates e-commerce websites in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.

Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Costco, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and a subsidiary in which it has a controlling interest. All material inter-company transactions among the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation. Unless otherwise noted, references to net income relate to net income attributable to Costco.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q for interim financial reporting pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While these statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for fair presentation of the results of the interim period, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for complete financial statements. Therefore, the interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 28, 2022.

Fiscal Year End

The Company operates on a 52/53 week fiscal year basis, with the fiscal year ending on the Sunday closest to August 31. Fiscal 2023 is a 53-week year ending on September 3, 2023. References to the second quarter of 2023 and 2022 relate to the 12-week fiscal quarters ended February 12, 2023, and February 13, 2022. References to the first half of 2023 and 2022 relate to the 24 weeks ended February 12, 2023 and February 13, 2022.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and assumptions take into account historical and forward-looking factors that the Company believes are reasonable. Actual results could differ from those estimates and assumptions.

Reclassification

Reclassifications were made to the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the first half of 2022 to conform with current year presentation.

Leases

The Company leases land, buildings, equipment, and other assets at warehouses, offices, or within the operations that support supply chain and distribution channels. The Company reviews lease right-of-use assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be fully recoverable. The Company also occasionally revisits and modifies the terms of its leasing arrangements. During the first quarter of 2023, the Company recognized a charge of $93, primarily related to the termination costs and impairment of certain leased assets associated with charter shipping activities. This charge is included in merchandise costs.