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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Feb. 01, 2025
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Fiscal Year Fiscal Year - The Buckle, Inc. (the “Company”) has its fiscal year end on the Saturday nearest January 31. All references in these consolidated financial statements to fiscal years are to the calendar year in which the fiscal year begins. Fiscal 2024 represents the 52-week period ended February 1, 2025, fiscal 2023 represents the 53-week period ended February 3, 2024, and fiscal 2022 represents the 52-week period ended January 28, 2023.
Nature Of Operations
Nature of Operations - The Company is a retailer of medium to better-priced casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for fashion-conscious men, women, and kids. The Company operates its business as one reportable segment and sells its merchandise through its retail stores and e-Commerce platform. The Company operated 441 stores located in 42 states throughout the United States as of February 1, 2025.

During fiscal 2024, the Company opened 8 new stores, substantially remodeled 18 stores, and closed 11 stores. During fiscal 2023, the Company opened 9 new stores, substantially remodeled 18 stores, and closed 6 stores. During fiscal 2022, the Company opened 4 new stores, substantially remodeled 23 stores, and closed 3 stores.
Principles of Consolidation
Principles of Consolidation - The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Buckle, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue Recognition - Retail store sales are recorded, net of expected returns, upon the purchase of merchandise by customers. Online sales are recorded, net of expected returns, when the merchandise is tendered for delivery to the common carrier. Shipping fees charged to customers are included in revenue and shipping costs are included in selling expenses. The Company recognizes revenue from sales made under its layaway program upon delivery of the merchandise to the customer. Revenue is not recorded when gift cards and gift certificates are sold, but rather when a card or certificate is redeemed for merchandise. A current liability for unredeemed gift cards and certificates is recorded at the time the card or certificate is purchased. The liability recorded for unredeemed gift certificates and gift cards was $17,007 and $16,667 as of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, respectively. Gift card and gift certificate breakage is recognized as revenue in proportion to the redemption pattern of customers by applying an estimated breakage rate. The estimated breakage rate is based on historical issuance and redemption patterns and is re-assessed by the Company on a regular basis. Sales tax collected from customers is excluded from revenue and is included as part of accrued store operating expenses on the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

The Company establishes a liability for estimated merchandise returns, based upon the historical average sales return percentage, that is recognized at the transaction value. The Company also recognizes a return asset and a corresponding adjustment to cost of sales for the Company's right to recover returned merchandise, which is measured at the estimated carrying value, less any expected recovery costs. The accrued liability for reserve for sales returns was $2,587 as of February 1, 2025 and $2,551 as of February 3, 2024.
The Company's Buckle Rewards program allows participating guests to earn points for every qualifying purchase, which (after achievement of certain point thresholds) are redeemable as a discount off a future purchase. In addition, through partnership with Bread Financial and Comenity Bank (collectively the "Bank"), the Company offers a private label credit card ("PLCC") program. Buckle Rewards members with a PLCC earn additional points under the Buckle Rewards program for every qualifying purchase on their PLCC card. Reported revenue is net of both current period reward redemptions and accruals for estimated future rewards earned under the Buckle Rewards program. A liability has been recorded for future rewards based on the Company's estimate of how many earned points will turn into rewards and ultimately be redeemed prior to expiration. As of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, $10,295 and $10,355 was included in accrued store operating expenses as a liability for estimated future rewards.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents - The Company considers all debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
Investments Investments - Investments classified as short-term investments include securities with a maturity of greater than three months and less than one year. Available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity (net of the effect of income taxes), using the specific identification method, until they are sold. Held-to-maturity securities are carried at amortized cost. Trading securities are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings, using the specific identification method.
Inventory Inventory - Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using an average cost method that approximates the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Management makes adjustments to inventory and cost of goods sold, based upon estimates, to account for merchandise obsolescence and markdowns that could affect net realizable value, based on assumptions using calculations applied to current inventory levels within each different markdown level. Management also reviews the levels of inventory in each markdown group and the overall aging of the inventory versus the estimated future demand for such product and the current market conditions. The adjustment to inventory for markdowns and/or obsolescence reduced the Company’s inventory valuation by $9,222 and $9,113 as of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, respectively.
Property and Equipment Property and Equipment - Property and equipment are stated on the basis of historical cost. Depreciation is provided using primarily the straight-line method based upon the estimated useful lives of the assets. The majority of property and equipment have useful lives of 5 to 10 years with the exception of buildings, which have estimated useful lives of 31.5 to 39 years. Leasehold improvements are stated on the basis of historical cost and are amortized over the shorter of the life of the lease or the estimated economic life of the assets. When circumstances indicate the carrying values of long-lived assets may be impaired, an evaluation is performed on current net book value amounts. Judgments made by the Company related to the expected useful lives of property and equipment and the ability to realize cash flows in excess of carrying amounts of such assets are affected by factors such as changes in economic conditions and changes in operating performance. As the Company assesses the expected cash flows and carrying amounts of long-lived assets, adjustments are made to such carrying values.
Pre-Opening Expenses
Pre-Opening Expenses - Costs related to opening new stores are expensed as incurred.
Advertising Costs Advertising Costs - Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and were $21,778, $21,262, and $19,227 for fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
Health Care Costs
Health Care Costs - The Company is self-funded for health and dental claims up to $200 per individual per plan year. The Company’s plan covers eligible employees, and management makes estimates at period end to record a reserve for unpaid claims based upon historical claims information. The accrued liability as a reserve for unpaid health care claims was $1,020 and $930 as of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024, respectively.
Leases
Leases - The Company's lease portfolio is primarily comprised of leases for retail store locations. The Company also leases certain equipment and corporate office space. Store leases for new stores typically have an initial term of 10 years, with options to renew for an additional 1 to 5 years. The exercise of lease renewal options is at the Company's sole discretion and is included in the lease term for calculations of its right-of-use assets and liabilities when it is reasonably certain that the Company plans to renew these leases. Certain store lease agreements include rental payments based on a percentage of retail sales over contractual levels and others include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation. Lease agreements do not contain any residual value guarantees, material restrictive covenants, or options to purchase the leased property.

The Company records its lease liabilities at the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted at the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term. As the Company's leases do not provide an implicit interest rate, the Company obtains an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments.

The Company has elected to apply the practical expedient to account for lease components (e.g. fixed payments for rent, insurance, and real estate taxes) and non-lease components (e.g. fixed payments for common area maintenance) together as a single component for all underlying asset classes. Additionally, the Company elected as an accounting policy to exclude short-term leases from the recognition requirements.
Other Income Other Income - The Company’s other income is derived primarily from interest and dividends received on cash and investments.
Income Taxes
Income Taxes - The Company records a deferred tax asset and liability for expected future tax consequences resulting from temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities. The Company considers future taxable income and ongoing tax planning in assessing the value of its deferred tax assets. If the Company determines that it is more than likely that these assets will not be realized, the Company would reduce the value of these assets to their expected realizable value, thereby decreasing net income. If the Company subsequently determined that the deferred tax assets, which had been written down, would be realized in the future, such value would be increased, thus increasing net income in the period such determination was made. The Company records tax benefits only for tax positions that are more than likely to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits are tax benefits claimed in the Company’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards.
Financial Instruments And Credit Risk Concentrations
Financial Instruments and Credit Risk Concentrations - Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, are primarily cash, investments, and accounts receivable. The Company’s investments are primarily in tax-free municipal bonds, corporate bonds, or U.S. Treasury securities with short-term maturities. The majority of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are held by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. This amount, as well as cash and investments held by certain other financial institutions, exceeds federally insured limits.

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable are limited due to the nature of the Company’s receivables, which include primarily employee receivables that can be offset against future compensation. The Company’s financial instruments have a fair value approximating the carrying value.
Earnings Per Share Earnings Per Share - Basic earnings per share data are based on the weighted average outstanding common shares during the period. Diluted earnings per share data are based on the weighted average outstanding common shares and the effect of all dilutive potential common shares.
Use of Estimates
Use of Estimates - The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements - In November 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires enhanced disclosures around significant segment expenses. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The ASU requires public entities to adopt this new guidance on a retrospective basis. The Company adopted ASU 2023-07 for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2025, and applied it retrospectively to all prior periods presented. See Footnote N "Segment Reporting" for further information.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires business entities to expand their annual disclosures of income taxes paid and the effective rate reconciliation. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company plans to adopt ASU 2023-09 effective for fiscal 2025. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance and believes the adoption will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses, which requires the disaggregated disclosure of certain costs and expenses on an interim and annual basis. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. The ASU may be applied on either a prospective or retrospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its disclosures.
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Supplemental Cash Flow Information - The Company had non-cash investing activities during fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022 of $1,455, $(1,031), and $(1,098), respectively. The non-cash investing activity relates to the change in the balance of unpaid purchases of property, plant, and equipment included in accounts payable as of the end of the year. The liability for unpaid purchases of property, plant, and equipment included in accounts payable was $2,030, $3,485, and $2,454 as of February 1, 2025, February 3, 2024, and January 28, 2023, respectively. Amounts reported as unpaid purchases are recorded as cash outflows from investing activities for purchases of property, plant, and equipment in the consolidated statement of cash flows in the period they are paid.

Additional cash flow information for the Company includes cash paid for income taxes during fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022 of $58,990, $60,598, and $81,135, respectively.