Customer Financing	6 Months Ended
Oct. 29, 2016
Receivables [Abstract]
Customer Financing	Customer Financing As a convenience to our customers, we offer several different financing alternatives, including a third party program and a Patterson-sponsored program. For the third party program, we act as a facilitator between the customer and the third party financing entity with no on-going involvement in the financing transaction. Under our sponsored program, equipment purchased by customers with strong credit may be financed up to a maximum of $1,000. We generally sell our customers’ financing contracts to outside financial institutions in the normal course of our business. These financing arrangements are accounted for as a sale of assets under the provisions of ASC 860, Transfers and Servicing. We currently have two arrangements under which we sell these contracts. First, we operate under an agreement to sell a portion of our equipment finance contracts to commercial paper conduits with The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. ("BTMU") serving as the agent. We utilize PDC Funding to fulfill a requirement of participating in the commercial paper conduit. We receive the proceeds of the contracts upon sale to BTMU. At least 9% of the proceeds are held by the conduit as security against eventual performance of the portfolio. This percentage can be greater and is based upon certain ratios defined in the agreement with BTMU. The capacity under the agreement with BTMU at October 29, 2016 was $575,000. Second, we maintain an agreement with Fifth Third Bank ("Fifth Third") whereby the bank purchases customers’ financing contracts. PDC Funding II sells financing contracts to Fifth Third. We receive the proceeds of the contracts upon sale to Fifth Third. At least 10% of the proceeds are held by the conduit as security against eventual performance of the portfolio. This percentage can be greater and is based upon certain ratios defined in the agreement with Fifth Third. The capacity under the agreement with Fifth Third at October 29, 2016 was $100,000. We retain servicing responsibilities for the financing contracts under both arrangements, for which we are paid a servicing fee. The servicing fees we receive are considered adequate compensation for services rendered. Accordingly, no servicing asset or liability has been recorded. The portion of the purchase price for the receivables held by the conduits is deemed a deferred purchase price receivable, which is paid to the applicable special purpose entity as payments on the customers’ financing contracts are collected from customers. The difference between the carrying amount of the receivables sold under these programs and the sum of the cash and fair value of the deferred purchase price receivables received at time of transfer is recognized as a gain on sale of the related receivables and recorded in net sales in the consolidated statements of income. Expenses incurred related to customer financing activities were recorded in operating expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of income. During the three and six months ended October 29, 2016 we sold $62,663 and $172,257, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. During the three and six months ended October 31, 2015 we sold $48,172 and $142,939, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income of $4,331 and $14,516 during the three and six months ended October 29, 2016, respectively, related to these contracts sold. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income of $9,016 and $14,903 during the three and six months ended October 31, 2015, respectively, related to these contracts sold. Included in cash and cash equivalents in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $22,809 and $27,186 as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively, which represent cash collected from previously sold customer financing contracts that have not yet been settled. Included in current receivables in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $82,591, net of unearned income of $2,334, and $87,406, net of unearned income of $1,768, as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively, of finance contracts we have not yet sold. A total of $600,760 of finance contracts receivable sold under the arrangements was outstanding at October 29, 2016. The deferred purchase price under the arrangements was $118,059 and $108,837 as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively. Since the internal financing program began in 1994, bad debt write-offs have amounted to less than 1% of the loans originated. The arrangements require us to maintain a minimum current ratio and maximum leverage ratio. We were in compliance with those covenants at October 29, 2016.

Customer Financing

As a convenience to our customers, we offer several different financing alternatives, including a third party program and a Patterson-sponsored program. For the third party program, we act as a facilitator between the customer and the third party financing entity with no on-going involvement in the financing transaction. Under our sponsored program, equipment purchased by customers with strong credit may be financed up to a maximum of $1,000. We generally sell our customers’ financing contracts to outside financial institutions in the normal course of our business. These financing arrangements are accounted for as a sale of assets under the provisions of ASC 860, Transfers and Servicing. We currently have two arrangements under which we sell these contracts.

First, we operate under an agreement to sell a portion of our equipment finance contracts to commercial paper conduits with The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. ("BTMU") serving as the agent. We utilize PDC Funding to fulfill a requirement of participating in the commercial paper conduit. We receive the proceeds of the contracts upon sale to BTMU. At least 9% of the proceeds are held by the conduit as security against eventual performance of the portfolio. This percentage can be greater and is based upon certain ratios defined in the agreement with BTMU. The capacity under the agreement with BTMU at October 29, 2016 was $575,000.

Second, we maintain an agreement with Fifth Third Bank ("Fifth Third") whereby the bank purchases customers’ financing contracts. PDC Funding II sells financing contracts to Fifth Third. We receive the proceeds of the contracts upon sale to Fifth Third. At least 10% of the proceeds are held by the conduit as security against eventual performance of the portfolio. This percentage can be greater and is based upon certain ratios defined in the agreement with Fifth Third. The capacity under the agreement with Fifth Third at October 29, 2016 was $100,000.

We retain servicing responsibilities for the financing contracts under both arrangements, for which we are paid a servicing fee. The servicing fees we receive are considered adequate compensation for services rendered. Accordingly, no servicing asset or liability has been recorded.

The portion of the purchase price for the receivables held by the conduits is deemed a deferred purchase price receivable, which is paid to the applicable special purpose entity as payments on the customers’ financing contracts are collected from customers. The difference between the carrying amount of the receivables sold under these programs and the sum of the cash and fair value of the deferred purchase price receivables received at time of transfer is recognized as a gain on sale of the related receivables and recorded in net sales in the consolidated statements of income. Expenses incurred related to customer financing activities were recorded in operating expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of income.

During the three and six months ended October 29, 2016 we sold $62,663 and $172,257, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. During the three and six months ended October 31, 2015 we sold $48,172 and $142,939, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income of $4,331 and $14,516 during the three and six months ended October 29, 2016, respectively, related to these contracts sold. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income of $9,016 and $14,903 during the three and six months ended October 31, 2015, respectively, related to these contracts sold.

Included in cash and cash equivalents in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $22,809 and $27,186 as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively, which represent cash collected from previously sold customer financing contracts that have not yet been settled. Included in current receivables in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $82,591, net of unearned income of $2,334, and $87,406, net of unearned income of $1,768, as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively, of finance contracts we have not yet sold. A total of $600,760 of finance contracts receivable sold under the arrangements was outstanding at October 29, 2016. The deferred purchase price under the arrangements was $118,059 and $108,837 as of October 29, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively. Since the internal financing program began in 1994, bad debt write-offs have amounted to less than 1% of the loans originated.

The arrangements require us to maintain a minimum current ratio and maximum leverage ratio. We were in compliance with those covenants at October 29, 2016.