Customer Financing	9 Months Ended
Jan. 28, 2017
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 January 28, 2017 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 January 28, 2017 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 condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income. Expenses incurred related to customer financing activities were recorded in operating expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income. During the three and nine months ended January 28, 2017 we sold $106,272 and $278,529, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. During the three and nine months ended January 30, 2016 we sold $128,442 and $271,381, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income of $2,450 and $16,966 during the three and nine months ended January 28, 2017, respectively, related to these contracts sold. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income of $8,814 and $23,717 during the three and nine months ended January 30, 2016, respectively, related to these contracts sold. Included in cash and cash equivalents in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $22,363 and $27,186 as of January 28, 2017 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 $96,284, net of unearned income of $2,914, and $87,406, net of unearned income of $1,768, as of January 28, 2017 and April 30, 2016, respectively, of finance contracts we have not yet sold. A total of $619,361 of finance contracts receivable sold under the arrangements was outstanding at January 28, 2017. The deferred purchase price under the arrangements was $128,015 and $108,837 as of January 28, 2017 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 January 28, 2017.

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 January 28, 2017 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 January 28, 2017 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 condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income. Expenses incurred related to customer financing activities were recorded in operating expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income.

During the three and nine months ended January 28, 2017 we sold $106,272 and $278,529, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. During the three and nine months ended January 30, 2016 we sold $128,442 and $271,381, respectively, of contracts under these arrangements. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income of $2,450 and $16,966 during the three and nine months ended January 28, 2017, respectively, related to these contracts sold. We recorded net sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income of $8,814 and $23,717 during the three and nine months ended January 30, 2016, respectively, related to these contracts sold.

Included in cash and cash equivalents in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are $22,363 and $27,186 as of January 28, 2017 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 $96,284, net of unearned income of $2,914, and $87,406, net of unearned income of $1,768, as of January 28, 2017 and April 30, 2016, respectively, of finance contracts we have not yet sold. A total of $619,361 of finance contracts receivable sold under the arrangements was outstanding at January 28, 2017. The deferred purchase price under the arrangements was $128,015 and $108,837 as of January 28, 2017 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 January 28, 2017.