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SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED) (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED) [Abstract] |
Schedule of Quarterly Financial Information | A summary of selected quarterly information for 2017 and 2016 is as follows (in thousands of dollars, except for per share amounts):
|  | 2017 Quarter Ended
|  | March 31 |  | June 30 |  | September 30 |  | December 31 |  | Total
Net sales |  | $ | 2,541,129 |  |  | $ | 2,615,269 |  |  | $ | 2,635,999 |  |  | $ | 2,632,461 |  |  | $ | 10,424,858 |
Cost of merchandise sold |  | 1,521,937 |  |  | 1,575,313 |  |  | 1,618,819 |  |  | 1,611,232 |  |  | 6,327,301 |
Gross profit |  | 1,019,192 |  |  | 1,039,956 |  |  | 1,017,180 |  |  | 1,021,229 |  |  | 4,097,557 |
Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses |  | 723,704 |  |  | 807,891 |  |  | 736,010 |  |  | 781,290 |  |  | 3,048,895 |
Operating earnings |  | 295,488 |  |  | 232,065 |  |  | 281,170 |  |  | 239,939 |  |  | 1,048,662 |
Net earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc. |  | 174,744 |  |  | 97,921 |  |  | 162,006 |  |  | 151,059 |  |  | 585,730 |
Earnings per share - basic |  | 2.95 |  |  | 1.68 |  |  | 2.80 |  |  | 2.64 |  |  | 10.07 |
Earnings per share - diluted |  | $ | 2.93 |  |  | $ | 1.67 |  |  | $ | 2.79 |  |  | $ | 2.63 |  |  | $ | 10.02 |
|  | 2016 Quarter Ended
|  | March 31 |  | June 30 |  | September 30 |  | December 31 |  | Total
Net sales |  | $ | 2,506,538 |  |  | $ | 2,563,668 |  |  | $ | 2,596,288 |  |  | $ | 2,470,710 |  |  | $ | 10,137,204 |
Cost of merchandise sold |  | 1,461,485 |  |  | 1,523,609 |  |  | 1,556,536 |  |  | 1,481,017 |  |  | 6,022,647 |
Gross profit |  | 1,045,053 |  |  | 1,040,059 |  |  | 1,039,752 |  |  | 989,693 |  |  | 4,114,557 |
Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses |  | 727,961 |  |  | 734,470 |  |  | 717,165 |  |  | 815,464 |  |  | 2,995,060 |
Operating earnings |  | 317,092 |  |  | 305,589 |  |  | 322,587 |  |  | 174,229 |  |  | 1,119,497 |
Net earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc. |  | 186,713 |  |  | 172,676 |  |  | 185,873 |  |  | 60,666 |  |  | 605,928 |
Earnings per share - basic |  | 3.00 |  |  | 2.81 |  |  | 3.07 |  |  | 1.02 |  |  | 9.94 |
Earnings per share - diluted |  | $ | 2.98 |  |  | $ | 2.79 |  |  | $ | 3.05 |  |  | $ | 1.01 |  |  | $ | 9.87 |

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- Definition SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED) [Abstract] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of quarterly financial data. Includes, but is not limited to, financial information for fiscal quarters, cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle and earnings per share data. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 270 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a)-(j) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173487&loc=d3e1280-108306 + Details
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