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SEGMENT INFORMATION | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract] |
SEGMENT INFORMATION | SEGMENT INFORMATION Grainger’s two reportable segments are the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. operating segment reflects the results of Grainger's U.S. businesses. The Canada operating segment reflects the results for Acklands-Grainger, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Other businesses include Zoro Tools, Inc. (Zoro), the single channel online business in the U.S., MonotaRO Co. (MonotaRO) in Japan and operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America. These businesses individually do not meet the criteria of a reportable segment. Operating segments generate revenue almost exclusively through the distribution of MRO supplies, as service revenues account for approximately 1% of total revenues for each operating segment. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies. Intersegment transfer prices are established at external selling prices, less costs not incurred due to a related party sale. The segment results include certain centrally incurred costs for shared services that are charged to the segments based upon the relative level of service used by each operating segment. Following is a summary of segment results (in thousands of dollars):
| 2017
| United States |  | Canada |  | Other businesses |  | Total
Total net sales | $ | 7,960,075 |  |  | $ | 752,900 |  |  | $ | 2,120,303 |  |  | $ | 10,833,278 |
Intersegment net sales | (403,824 | ) |  | (35 | ) |  | (4,561 | ) |  | (408,420 | )
Net sales to external customers | 7,556,251 |  |  | 752,865 |  |  | 2,115,742 |  |  | 10,424,858 |
Segment operating earnings | 1,213,138 |  |  | (76,538 | ) |  | 55,633 |  |  | 1,192,233 |
Segment assets | 2,309,734 |  |  | 278,633 |  |  | 605,452 |  |  | 3,193,819 |
Depreciation and amortization | 168,862 |  |  | 18,965 |  |  | 31,016 |  |  | 218,843 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 187,384 |  |  | $ | 7,594 |  |  | $ | 61,735 |  |  | $ | 256,713 |
| 2016
| United States |  | Canada |  | Other businesses |  | Total
Total net sales | $ | 7,870,105 |  |  | $ | 733,829 |  |  | $ | 1,884,963 |  |  | $ | 10,488,897 |
Intersegment net sales | (347,468 | ) |  | (110 | ) |  | (4,115 | ) |  | (351,693 | )
Net sales to external customers | 7,522,637 |  |  | 733,719 |  |  | 1,880,848 |  |  | 10,137,204 |
Segment operating earnings | 1,274,851 |  |  | (65,362 | ) |  | 40,684 |  |  | 1,250,173 |
Segment assets | 2,275,009 |  |  | 286,035 |  |  | 494,067 |  |  | 3,055,111 |
Depreciation and amortization | 159,334 |  |  | 18,050 |  |  | 23,792 |  |  | 201,176 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 153,556 |  |  | $ | 12,275 |  |  | $ | 95,288 |  |  | $ | 261,119 |
| 2015
| United States |  | Canada |  | Other businesses |  | Total
Total net sales | $ | 7,963,416 |  |  | $ | 890,530 |  |  | $ | 1,405,750 |  |  | $ | 10,259,696 |
Intersegment net sales | (282,305 | ) |  | (105 | ) |  | (3,902 | ) |  | (286,312 | )
Net sales to external customers | 7,681,111 |  |  | 890,425 |  |  | 1,401,848 |  |  | 9,973,384 |
Segment operating earnings | 1,371,626 |  |  | 27,368 |  |  | 48,051 |  |  | 1,447,045 |
Segment assets | 2,191,045 |  |  | 317,504 |  |  | 507,116 |  |  | 3,015,665 |
Depreciation and amortization | 150,654 |  |  | 17,334 |  |  | 19,999 |  |  | 187,987 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 302,316 |  |  | $ | 20,464 |  |  | $ | 21,135 |  |  | $ | 343,915 |
Following are reconciliations of the segment information with the consolidated totals per the financial statements (in thousands of dollars):
| 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2015
Operating earnings: |  |  |  |  |
Total operating earnings for reportable segments | $ | 1,192,233 |  |  | $ | 1,250,173 |  |  | $ | 1,447,045 |
Unallocated expenses | (143,571 | ) |  | (130,676 | ) |  | (146,725 | )
Total consolidated operating earnings | $ | 1,048,662 |  |  | $ | 1,119,497 |  |  | $ | 1,300,320 |
Assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Assets for reportable segments | $ | 3,193,819 |  |  | $ | 3,055,111 |  |  | $ | 3,015,665 |
Other current and noncurrent assets | 2,428,074 |  |  | 2,464,656 |  |  | 2,624,966 |
Unallocated assets | 182,361 |  |  | 174,540 |  |  | 217,124 |
Total consolidated assets | $ | 5,804,254 |  |  | $ | 5,694,307 |  |  | $ | 5,857,755 |
| 2017
| Segment Totals |  | Unallocated |  | Consolidated Total
Other significant items: |  |  |  |  |
Depreciation and amortization | $ | 218,843 |  |  | $ | 21,819 |  |  | $ | 240,662 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 256,713 |  |  | $ | 5,283 |  |  | $ | 261,996 |
|  |  | Revenues |  | Long-Lived Assets
Geographic information: |  |  |  |  |
United States |  |  | $ | 7,948,291 |  |  | $ | 1,097,543 |
Canada |  |  | 761,065 |  |  | 199,660 |
Other foreign countries |  |  | 1,715,502 |  |  | 246,700 |
|  |  | $ | 10,424,858 |  |  | $ | 1,543,903 |
| 2016
| Segment Totals |  | Unallocated |  | Consolidated Total
Other significant items: |  |  |  |  |
Depreciation and amortization | $ | 201,176 |  |  | $ | 21,469 |  |  | $ | 222,645 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 261,119 |  |  | $ | 10,542 |  |  | $ | 271,661 |
|  |  | Revenues |  | Long-Lived Assets
Geographic information: |  |  |  |  |
United States |  |  | $ | 7,834,361 |  |  | $ | 1,134,817 |
Canada |  |  | 739,687 |  |  | 210,931 |
Other foreign countries |  |  | 1,563,156 |  |  | 210,605 |
|  |  | $ | 10,137,204 |  |  | $ | 1,556,353 |
| 2015
| Segment Totals |  | Unallocated |  | Consolidated Total
Other significant items: |  |  |  |  |
Depreciation and amortization | $ | 187,987 |  |  | $ | 18,854 |  |  | $ | 206,841 |
Additions to long-lived assets | $ | 343,915 |  |  | $ | 16,912 |  |  | $ | 360,827 |
|  |  | Revenues |  | Long-Lived Assets
Geographic information: |  |  |  |  |
United States |  |  | $ | 7,866,300 |  |  | $ | 1,231,083 |
Canada |  |  | 897,431 |  |  | 215,202 |
Other foreign countries |  |  | 1,209,653 |  |  | 153,508 |
|  |  | $ | 9,973,384 |  |  | $ | 1,599,793 |
Revenues are attributed to countries based on the ship-to location of the customer. Unallocated expenses and unallocated assets primarily relate to the Company headquarters' support services, which are not part of any business segment, as well as intercompany eliminations. Unallocated expenses include payroll and benefits, depreciation and other costs associated with headquarters-related support services. Unallocated assets include non-operating cash and cash equivalents, certain prepaid expenses and property, buildings and equipment-net. Assets for reportable segments include net accounts receivable and first-in, first-out inventory, which are reported to the Company's Chief Operating Decision Maker. Long-lived assets consist of property, buildings, equipment and capitalized software. Depreciation and amortization presented above includes depreciation of long-lived assets and amortization of capitalized software.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 280 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2134510 + Details
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