Summary by Business Segment

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Segment Reporting, Measurement Disclosures [Abstract]

Summary by Business Segment [Text Block]

SUMMARY BY BUSINESS SEGMENT

Business segment information for the Company’s Distribution and All Other Operations business segments is presented below for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. Although corporate operating expenses are generally allocated to each business segment based on sales dollars, the Company reports expenses (excluding depreciation) related to the implementation of its SAP system under selling, distribution and administrative expenses in the “Eliminations and Other” column below. Additionally, the Company’s restructuring and other special charges (benefits), net are not allocated to the Company’s business segments. These costs (benefits) are also reflected in the “Eliminations and Other” column below. Intercompany sales are recorded on the same basis as sales to third parties and intercompany transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Management utilizes more than one measurement and multiple views of data to measure segment performance and to allocate resources to the segments. However, the predominant measurements are consistent with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and accordingly, are reported on the same basis below.

	Three Months Ended									Three Months Ended
	December 31, 2013									December 31, 2012
(In thousands)	Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total		Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total
Gas and rent	$	674,465	$	123,768	$	(7,338	)	$	790,895	$	642,884	$	138,152	$	(8,062	)	$	772,974
Hardgoods	451,057		895		(1		)	451,951		433,218		1,518		(2		)	434,734
Total net sales (a)	1,125,522		124,663		(7,339		)	1,242,846		1,076,102		139,670		(8,064		)	1,207,708
Cost of products sold (excluding depreciation) (a)	484,083		60,926		(7,339		)	537,670		465,030		73,599		(8,064		)	530,565
Selling, distribution and administrative expenses	427,440		43,409		1,838			472,687		405,591		44,866		8,718			459,175
Restructuring and other special charges (benefits), net	—		—		—			—		—		—		(1,729		)	(1,729		)
Depreciation	63,968		5,937		—			69,905		60,372		5,432		—			65,804
Amortization	6,620		1,045		—			7,665		5,384		1,230		—			6,614
Operating income	$	143,411	$	13,346	$	(1,838	)	$	154,919	$	139,725	$	14,543	$	(6,989	)	$	147,279
	Nine Months Ended									Nine Months Ended
	December 31, 2013									December 31, 2012
(In thousands)	Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total		Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total
Gas and rent	$	2,028,340	$	418,948	$	(23,715	)	$	2,423,573	$	1,914,092	$	444,371	$	(26,370	)	$	2,332,093
Hardgoods	1,377,842		3,295		(3		)	1,381,134		1,357,502		4,984		(5		)	1,362,481
Total net sales (a)	3,406,182		422,243		(23,718		)	3,804,707		3,271,594		449,355		(26,375		)	3,694,574
Cost of products sold (excluding depreciation) (a)	1,480,870		219,073		(23,718		)	1,676,225		1,453,426		233,396		(26,375		)	1,660,447
Selling, distribution and administrative expenses	1,282,022		132,361		6,234			1,420,617		1,210,753		130,749		27,274			1,368,776
Restructuring and other special charges (benefits), net	—		—		—			—		—		—		6,426			6,426
Depreciation	188,497		16,925		—			205,422		178,759		16,061		—			194,820
Amortization	18,875		3,266		—			22,141		16,171		3,779		—			19,950
Operating income	$	435,918	$	50,618	$	(6,234	)	$	480,302	$	412,485	$	65,370	$	(33,700	)	$	444,155

____________________

^(a) Amounts in the “Eliminations and Other” column represent the elimination of intercompany sales and associated gross profit on sales from the Company’s All Other Operations business segment to its Distribution business segment.