Summary by Business Segment

3 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

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 months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.

	Three Months Ended									Three Months Ended
	June 30, 2015									June 30, 2014
(In thousands)	Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations			Total		Distribution		All Other Ops.		Eliminations			Total
Gas and rent	$	717,642	$	160,027	$	(7,596	)	$	870,073	$	696,565	$	136,092	$	(7,066	)	$	825,591
Hardgoods	478,266		1,374		(3		)	479,637		487,047		951		(2		)	487,996
Net sales (a)	1,195,908		161,401		(7,599		)	1,349,710		1,183,612		137,043		(7,068		)	1,313,587
Cost of products sold (excluding depreciation) (a)	521,240		83,525		(7,599		)	597,166		520,933		69,541		(7,068		)	583,406
Selling, distribution and administrative expenses	464,809		48,967		—			513,776		449,639		45,074		—			494,713
Depreciation	71,020		7,055		—			78,075		66,462		6,173		—			72,635
Amortization	7,162		953		—			8,115		6,724		1,028		—			7,752
Total costs and expenses	1,064,231		140,500		(7,599		)	1,197,132		1,043,758		121,816		(7,068		)	1,158,506
Operating income	$	131,677	$	20,901	$	—		$	152,578	$	139,854	$	15,227	$	—		$	155,081

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^(a)  Amounts in the “Eliminations” 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.