Summary by Business Segment

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

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 in the following table for the three and nine months endedDecember 31, 2014 and 2013. Although corporate operating expenses are generally allocated to each business segment based on sales dollars, the Company reported expenses (excluding depreciation) related to the implementation of its SAP system under selling, distribution and administrative expenses in the “Eliminations and Other” column. 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 in the following table.

	Three Months Ended									Three Months Ended
	December 31, 2014									December 31, 2013
(In thousands)	Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total		Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total
Gas and rent	$	711,030	$	139,226	$	(7,698	)	$	842,558	$	674,465	$	123,768	$	(7,338	)	$	790,895
Hardgoods	488,315		950		(3		)	489,262		451,057		895		(1		)	451,951
Net sales (a)	1,199,345		140,176		(7,701		)	1,331,820		1,125,522		124,663		(7,339		)	1,242,846
Cost of products sold (excluding depreciation) (a)	521,782		74,852		(7,701		)	588,933		484,083		60,926		(7,339		)	537,670
Selling, distribution and administrative expenses	449,616		46,793		—			496,409		427,440		43,409		1,838			472,687
Depreciation	69,134		6,422		—			75,556		63,968		5,937		—			69,905
Amortization	6,914		1,122		—			8,036		6,620		1,045		—			7,665
Total costs and expenses	1,047,446		129,189		(7,701		)	1,168,934		982,111		111,317		(5,501		)	1,087,927
Operating income	$	151,899	$	10,987	$	—		$	162,886	$	143,411	$	13,346	$	(1,838	)	$	154,919
	Nine Months Ended									Nine Months Ended
	December 31, 2014									December 31, 2013
(In thousands)	Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total		Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations and Other			Total
Gas and rent	$	2,126,338	$	423,139	$	(22,813	)	$	2,526,664	$	2,028,340	$	418,948	$	(23,715	)	$	2,423,573
Hardgoods	1,473,629		2,875		(6		)	1,476,498		1,377,842		3,295		(3		)	1,381,134
Net sales (a)	3,599,967		426,014		(22,819		)	4,003,162		3,406,182		422,243		(23,718		)	3,804,707
Cost of products sold (excluding     depreciation) (a)	1,574,582		221,110		(22,819		)	1,772,873		1,480,870		219,073		(23,718		)	1,676,225
Selling, distribution and administrative expenses	1,351,722		139,775		—			1,491,497		1,282,022		132,361		6,234			1,420,617
Depreciation	202,545		18,806		—			221,351		188,497		16,925		—			205,422
Amortization	20,519		3,174		—			23,693		18,875		3,266		—			22,141
Total costs and expenses	3,149,368		382,865		(22,819		)	3,509,414		2,970,264		371,625		(17,484		)	3,324,405
Operating income	$	450,599	$	43,149	$	—		$	493,748	$	435,918	$	50,618	$	(6,234	)	$	480,302

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^(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.