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Basis of Presentation
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2012
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation:

The accompanying interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These statements should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.  The results of operations for the fiscal three-month and nine-month periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full fiscal year.

Our business is highly seasonal.  Historically, our sales and profits have been the highest in the second and fourth fiscal quarters due to the sale of seasonal products.  Unseasonable weather, excessive precipitation, drought, and early or late frosts may also affect our sales.  We believe, however, that the impact of extreme weather conditions is somewhat mitigated by the geographic dispersion of our stores and our ability to effectively manage inventory allocation.

We experience our highest inventory and accounts payable balances during the first fiscal quarter for purchases of seasonal products in anticipation of the spring selling season and again during the third fiscal quarter in anticipation of the cold-weather selling season.