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Sales by Product Line (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Sales by Product Line [Abstract] |
Percentages Of Sales By Product Line | The percentages of our sales by product line were as follows:
Type | Introduced |  | 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2015
Fasteners(1) | 1967 |  | 35.6% |  | 36.6% |  | 38.3%
Tools | 1993 |  | 10.1% |  | 9.9% |  | 9.5%
Cutting tools | 1996 |  | 5.8% |  | 5.7% |  | 5.6%
Hydraulics & pneumatics | 1996 |  | 6.8% |  | 6.9% |  | 7.2%
Material handling | 1996 |  | 6.3% |  | 6.4% |  | 6.5%
Janitorial supplies | 1996 |  | 7.6% |  | 7.6% |  | 7.5%
Electrical supplies | 1997 |  | 4.9% |  | 4.8% |  | 4.7%
Welding supplies | 1997 |  | 4.6% |  | 4.6% |  | 4.7%
Safety supplies(2) | 1999 |  | 15.2% |  | 14.9% |  | 13.9%
Metals | 2001 |  | 0.5% |  | 0.5% |  | 0.5%
Direct ship(3) | 2004 |  | 0.5% |  | 0.5% |  | 0.4%
Office supplies | 2010 |  | 0.1% |  | 0.1% |  | 0.1%
Other |  |  | 2.0% |  | 1.5% |  | 1.1%
|  |  | 100.0% |  | 100.0% |  | 100.0%
(1) Fastener product line represents fasteners and miscellaneous supplies. (2) The safety supplies product line has expanded, as a percentage of sales, in the last several years due to our industrial vending program. (3) Direct ship represents a cross section of products from the remaining product lines. The items included here represent certain items with historically low gross profit margins which are shipped directly from our distribution channel to our customers, bypassing our branch network.

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- Definition Sales by Product Line [Abstract] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Schedule Of Percentages Of Sales By Product Line [Table Text Block] + References No definition available. + Details
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