Summary of Significant Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

May 06, 2012

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

Costco Wholesale Corporation and its subsidiaries operate membership warehouses that offer low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and select private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories in no-frills, self-service facilities. At May 6, 2012, Costco operated 602 warehouses worldwide, which included: 435 U.S. and Puerto Rico locations, 82 Canadian locations, 32 Mexico locations, 22 United Kingdom locations, 13 Japan locations, eight Taiwan locations, seven Korea locations, and three Australia locations. The Company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce web site, at www.costco.com and at www.costco.ca in Canada.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Costco Wholesale Corporation, a Washington corporation, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, subsidiaries in which it has a controlling interest, consolidated entities in which it has made equity investments or has other interests through which it has majority-voting control or exercises the right to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s performance (Costco or the Company). The Company reports its noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities as a component of equity separate from the Company’s equity. All material inter-company transactions between the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and other entities 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 (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 filed on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 28, 2011.

In June 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued amended guidance concerning whether a company’s variable interest(s) in an entity constitute a controlling financial interest. The Company adopted this guidance on August 30, 2010 (the beginning of its fiscal 2011). As a result, the Company determined that its 50%-owned joint venture, Costco Mexico (Mexico), would be consolidated on a prospective basis beginning August 30, 2010.

Fiscal Year End

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 2012 is a 53-week year ending on September 2, 2012. References to the third quarters of 2012 and 2011 relate to the 12-week fiscal quarters ended May 6, 2012 and May 8, 2011, respectively. References to the first thirty-six weeks of 2012 and 2011 relate to the thirty six-weeks ended May 6, 2012 and May 8, 2011, respectively.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 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. Actual results could differ from those estimates and assumptions.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior fiscal year amounts or balances to conform to the presentation in the current fiscal year. These reclassifications did not have a material impact on the Company’s previously reported condensed consolidated financial statements.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying value of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, receivables and accounts payable, approximate fair value due to their short-term nature or variable interest rates. See Notes 2, 3, and 4 for the carrying value and fair value of the Company’s investments, derivative instruments, and fixed-rate debt.

The Company follows the authoritative guidance for fair value measurements relating to financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities, including presentation of required disclosures. This guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance also establishes a fair value hierarchy, which requires maximizing the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value. The three levels of inputs that may be used are:

Level 1:	Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2:	Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.
Level 3:	Significant unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.

Our current financial liabilities have fair values that approximate their carrying values. Our long-term financial liabilities consist of long-term debt, which is reported on the balance sheet at issuance price less unamortized discount. There have been no material changes to the valuation techniques utilized in the fair value measurement of assets and liabilities as disclosed in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 28, 2011.

Merchandise Inventories

Merchandise Inventories

Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, as determined primarily by the retail inventory method, and are stated using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method for substantially all U.S. merchandise inventories. Merchandise inventories for all foreign operations are primarily valued by the retail inventory method and are stated using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. The Company believes the LIFO method more fairly presents the results of operations by more closely matching current costs with current revenues. The Company records an adjustment each quarter, if necessary, for the projected annual effect of inflation or deflation, and these estimates are adjusted to actual results determined at year-end, when actual inflation rates and inventory levels have been determined. Due to net inflationary trends, merchandise inventories valued at LIFO were lower than FIFO resulting in a charge to merchandise costs of $6 and $9 in the third quarter and first thirty-six weeks of 2012, respectively, compared to charges of $49 and $55 in the third quarter and first thirty six-weeks of 2011, respectively. At May 6, 2012 and August 28, 2011, merchandise inventories valued at LIFO were lower than FIFO by $96 and $87, respectively.

Derivatives

Derivatives

The Company is exposed to foreign-currency exchange-rate fluctuations in the normal course of business. The Company manages these fluctuations, in part, through the use of forward foreign-exchange contracts, seeking to economically hedge the impact of fluctuations of foreign exchange on known future expenditures denominated in a non-functional foreign currency. The contracts are intended primarily to economically hedge exposure to U.S. dollar merchandise inventory expenditures made by the Company’s international subsidiaries whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. Currently, these contracts do not qualify for derivative hedge accounting. The Company seeks to mitigate risk with the use of these contracts and does not intend to engage in speculative transactions. These contracts do not contain any credit-risk-related contingent features. The aggregate notional amounts of forward foreign-exchange contracts were $226 and $221 at May 6, 2012, and May 8, 2011, respectively.

The Company seeks to manage counterparty risk associated with these contracts by limiting transactions to counterparties with which the Company has an established banking relationship. There can be no assurance, however, that this practice effectively mitigates counterparty risk. The contracts are limited to less than one year in duration. See Note 3 for information on the fair value of open, unsettled forward foreign-exchange contracts as of May 6, 2012, and May 8, 2011.

The following table summarizes the amount of unrealized gains or losses recognized in interest income and other, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income relating to the net changes in the fair value of open-unsettled forward foreign-exchange contracts:

	12 Weeks Ended					36 Weeks Ended
	May 6, 2012		May 8, 2011			May 6, 2012			May 8, 2011
Forward foreign-exchange contracts	$	1	$	(3	)	$	(2	)	$	(4	)

The Company is exposed to fluctuations in prices for the energy it consumes, particularly electricity and natural gas, which it seeks to partially mitigate through the use of fixed-price contracts for certain of its warehouses and other facilities, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. The Company also enters into variable-priced contracts for some purchases of natural gas, in addition to fuel for its gas stations, on an index basis. These contracts meet the characteristics of derivative instruments, but generally qualify for the “normal purchases or normal sales” exception under authoritative guidance and thus require no mark-to-market adjustment.

Foreign Currency

Foreign Currency

The Company recognizes foreign-currency transaction gains and losses related to revaluing all monetary assets and revaluing or settling monetary liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency (generally the U.S. dollar cash and cash equivalents and the U.S. dollar payables of consolidated subsidiaries to their functional currency) in interest income and other, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. Also included are realized foreign-currency gains or losses from all settlements of forward foreign-exchange contracts. These items resulted in a net gain of $2 and $25 in the third quarter and first thirty-six weeks of 2012, respectively, as compared to a net loss of $5 and $16 in the third quarter and first thirty-six weeks of 2011, respectively.

Stock Repurchase Programs

Stock Repurchase Programs

Repurchased shares of common stock are retired, in accordance with the Washington Business Corporation Act. The par value of repurchased shares is deducted from common stock and the excess of repurchase price over par value is deducted from additional paid-in capital and retained earnings. See Note 5 for additional information.