STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

12 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2011

STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

 NOTE 6 - STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Dividends

				First Payment				Second Payment
Declared		Amount		Record Date	Date Paid	Amount		Record Date	Date Paid		Amount
	1-19-11	$	0.60	2-15-11	2-28-11	$	0.30	8-15-11	8-31-11	$	0.30
	1-27-10		0.50	2-15-10	2-26-10		0.25	8-13-10	8-31-10		0.25
	1-29-09		0.50	2-13-09	2-27-09		0.25	8-14-09	8-31-09		0.25

The Company anticipates the ongoing payment of semi-annual dividends in subsequent periods, although the actual declaration of future dividends, the amount of such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates is subject to final determination by the Board of Directors at its discretion after its review of the Company's financial performance and anticipated capital requirements. 

Stockholder Contribution

No stockholder contributions were recorded for the fiscal year 2011.

 In December 2009, Robert E. Price, the Company's Chairman of the Board, contributed approximately $396,000 in capital to the Company to fund a special holiday bonus to PriceSmart's non-management employees in memory of the Company's founder, Sol Price.

 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated other comprehensive loss reported on the Company's consolidated balance sheets consists of foreign currency translation adjustments of approximately $21.9 million and $16.2 million and unrealized losses on interest rate swaps (net of tax) of approximately $748,000 and $576,000 as of August 31, 2011 and August 31, 2010, respectively, and unrealized expenses (net of tax) on defined benefit plan of $273,000 for fiscal year 2011.  The unfavorable translation adjustments during the twelve months of fiscal year 2011 of approximately $5.8 million were primarily due to weaker foreign currencies and the reclassification of approximately $4.9 million from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss to accumulated depreciation (see Note 1 - Company Overview and Basis of Presentation). The $172,000 increase in unrealized losses was mainly due to the change in the fair value of the interest rate swaps from August 31, 2010 to August 31, 2011. The $273,000 is the result of recording the funding obligations for the defined benefit plan entered into by the Company on January 21, 2011 in Trinidad. (See Note 7 - Retirement Plan).  The favorable translation adjustments of approximately $670,000 during fiscal year 2010 were due to a weaker U.S. dollar.

Retained Earnings Not Available for Distribution

As of August 31, 2011 and 2010, retained earnings (accumulated deficit) included retained earnings designated as legal reserves of various subsidiaries of approximately $4.4 million and $3.2 million, respectively, at various subsidiaries, which cannot be distributed as dividends to PriceSmart, Inc. according to applicable statutory regulations.