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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2012
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: |
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: (a) Company Operations: AMCON Distributing Company and Subsidiaries ("AMCON" and "the Company") is primarily engaged in the wholesale distribution of consumer products in the Central, Rocky Mountain, and Southern regions of the United States. AMCON's wholesale distribution business includes six distribution centers that sell approximately 14,000 different consumer products, including cigarettes and tobacco products, candy and other confectionery, beverages, groceries, paper products, health and beauty care products, frozen and chilled products and institutional foodservice products. The Company distributes products primarily to retailers such as convenience stores, discount and general merchandise stores, grocery stores, drug stores, and gas stations. In addition, the Company services institutional customers, including restaurants and bars, schools, sports complexes, as well as other wholesalers. AMCON also operates six retail health food stores in Florida under the name Chamberlin's Market & Café ("Chamberlin's") and eight in the Midwest under the name Akin's Natural Foods Market ("Akin's"). These stores carry natural supplements, groceries, health and beauty care products, and other food items. The Company's operations are subject to a number of factors which are beyond the control of management, such as changes in manufacturers' cigarette pricing, state excise tax increases, or the opening of competing retail stores in close proximity to the Company's retail stores. While the Company sells a diversified product line, it remains dependent upon the sale of cigarettes which accounted for approximately 73% of our consolidated revenue and 29% of our consolidated gross profit during fiscal 2012. In fiscal 2011, sales of cigarettes which accounted for approximately 72% of our consolidated revenue and 27% of our consolidated gross profit. (b) Accounting Period: The Company's fiscal year ends on September 30 and the fiscal years ended September 30, 2012 and September 30, 2011 have been included herein. (c) Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation: The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of AMCON and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. (d) Cash and Accounts Payable: AMCON utilizes a cash management system under which an overdraft is the normal book balance in the primary disbursing accounts. Overdrafts included in accounts payable at fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011 totaled approximately $2.0 million and $1.3 million, respectively, and reflect checks drawn on the disbursing accounts that have been issued but have not yet cleared through the banking system. The Company's policy has been to fund these outstanding checks as they clear with borrowings under its revolving credit facility (see Note 8). These outstanding checks (book overdrafts) are classified as cash flows from operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. (e) Accounts Receivable: Accounts receivable consist primarily of amounts due to the Company from its normal business activities. An allowance for doubtful accounts is maintained to reflect the expected uncollectibility of accounts receivable based on past collection history, evaluation of economic conditions as they may impact our customers, and specific risks identified in the portfolio. The Company determines the past due status of trade receivables based on our terms with each customer. Account balances are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when collection efforts have been exhausted and the account receivable is deemed worthless. Any subsequent recoveries of charged off account balances are recorded as income in the period received. (f) Inventories: At September 2012 and September 2011, inventories consisted of finished goods and are stated at the lower of cost (determined on a FIFO basis) or market. The wholesale distribution and retail health food segment inventories consist of finished products purchased in bulk quantities to be redistributed to the Company's customers or sold at retail. Finished goods included total reserves of approximately $0.9 million at both September 2012 and September 2011. These reserves include the Company's obsolescence allowance, which reflects estimated unsaleable or non-refundable inventory based upon an evaluation of slow moving and discontinued products. (g) Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets: A summary of prepaid expenses and other current assets is as follows (in millions):
|  | September 2012 |  | September 2011 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Prepaid expenses |  | $ | 1.1 |  | $ | 1.2 |
Prepaid inventory |  |  | 5.4 |  |  | 4.9 |
|  | $ | 6.5 |  | $ | 6.1 |
Prepaid inventory represents inventory in-transit that has been paid for but not received. (h) Property and Equipment: Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation or amortization. Major renewals and improvements are capitalized and charged to expense over their useful lives through depreciation or amortization charges. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense in the period incurred. The straight-line method of depreciation is used to depreciate assets over the estimated useful lives as follows:
|  | Years |
--- | --- | --- | ---
Buildings |  |  | 40 |
Warehouse equipment |  |  | 5 - 7 |
Furniture, fixtures and leasehold improvements |  |  | 2 - 12 |
Vehicles |  |  | 5 |
Costs and accumulated depreciation applicable to assets retired or sold are eliminated from the accounts, and the resulting gains or losses are reported as a component of operating income. The Company reviews property and equipment for indicators of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Cash flows expected to be generated by the related assets are estimated over the asset's useful life based on updated projections on an undiscounted basis. If the evaluation indicates that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable, the potential impairment is measured at fair value. (i) Goodwill and Intangible Assets: Our goodwill consists of the excess purchase price paid in business combinations over the fair value of assets acquired. Our intangible assets consist of trademarks, tradenames, customer relationships, and the value of non-competition agreements acquired as part of acquisitions. Goodwill, trademarks, and tradenames are considered to have indefinite lives. The Company employs the non-amortization approach to account for purchased intangible assets having indefinite useful lives and goodwill. Under the non-amortization approach, goodwill and intangible assets having indefinite useful lives are not amortized into the results of operations, but instead are reviewed annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired, to assess whether their fair value exceeds their carrying value. The Company performs its annual goodwill and intangible asset impairment assessment during the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. When evaluating the potential impairment of non-amortizable indefinite-lived assets and goodwill we first assess a range of qualitative factors, including but not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry conditions, the competitive environment, changes in the market for the Company's products and services, regulatory and political developments, entity specific factors such as strategy and changes in key personnel, and the overall financial performance for each of the Company's reporting units. The Company's reporting units which are tested for impairment are Akin's, Chamberlin's, and the Springfield, MO, Quincy, IL, and Crossville, TN divisions of our Wholesale Segment. Both Akin's and Chamberlin's are components of our Retail Segment. If after completing this assessment, it is determined that it is more that than likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we proceed to a two-step impairment testing methodology using the income approach (discounted cash flow method). In the first step of this testing methodology, we compare the carrying value of the reporting unit, including goodwill, with its fair value, as determined by its estimated discounted cash flows. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we then complete the second step of the impairment test to determine the amount of impairment to be recognized. In the second step, we estimate an implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill by allocating the fair value of the reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities other than goodwill (including any unrecognized intangible assets). If the carrying value of a reporting unit's goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, the Company records an impairment loss equal to the difference in that period. When required, we arrive at our estimates of fair value using a discounted cash flow methodology which includes estimates of future cash flows to be generated by particular assets, as well as selecting a discount rate to measure the present value of those anticipated cash flows. Estimating future cash flows requires significant judgment and includes making assumptions about projected growth rates, industry-specific factors, working capital requirements, weighted average cost of capital, and current and anticipated operating conditions. The use of different assumptions or estimates for future cash flows could produce different results. Identifiable intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are assessed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or circumstances change which may indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. Identifiable intangible assets that are subject to amortization are evaluated for impairment using a process similar to that used in evaluating the elements of property and equipment. If impaired, the related asset is written down to its fair value. No impairments of goodwill, indefinite-lived assets, or identifiable intangible assets with finite lives were recorded during either fiscal 2012 or fiscal 2011. (j) Revenue Recognition: AMCON recognizes revenue when title passes to our customers. In our Wholesale Segment, this occurs when products are delivered to customers (which generally is the same day products are shipped) and in our retail health food segment when products are sold to consumers. Sales are shown net of returns, discounts, and sales incentives to customers. (k) Insurance: The Company's workers' compensation, general liability, and employee-related health care benefits are provided through high-deductible or self-insurance programs. As a result, the Company accrues for its workers' compensation and general liability based upon a claim reserve analysis. The Company has issued a letter of credit in the amount of $0.4 million to its workers' compensation insurance carrier as part of its loss control program. The reserve for incurred, but not reported, employee health care benefits is based on approximately one month of claims, calculated using the Company's historical claims experience rate, plus specific reserves for large claims. The reserves associated with the exposure to these liabilities are reviewed by management for adequacy at the end of each reporting period. (l) Income Taxes: The Company uses the asset and liability method to calculate deferred income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized on temporary differences between financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates. The effect of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income during the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when we do not consider it more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. (m) Share-Based Compensation: The Company recognizes expense for its share-based compensation based on the fair value of the awards that are granted. The fair value of the stock options is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Option pricing methods require the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility. The fair value of restricted stock awards is based on the Company's stock price on the grant date and the fair value of restricted stock units is based on the Company's period ending closing price. Measured compensation cost is recognized ratably over the vesting period of the related share-based compensation award and is reflected in our Consolidated Statement of Operations under "selling, general and administrative expenses." (n) Customer Sales Incentives: The Company provides sales rebates or discounts to our wholesale customers. These incentives are recorded as a reduction of sales revenue as earned by the customer. (o) Per-share results: Basic earnings or loss per share data are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings or loss per share data are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and the effect of all dilutive potential common shares including stock options and conversion features of the Company's preferred stock issuances. (p) Use of Estimates: The preparation of the 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 assets and liabilities and 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 those estimates. (q) Adoption of New Accounting Standards: During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company adopted FASB ASU 2012-02 ("Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment") which permits an entity to use an optional qualitative assessment when determining if indefinite-lived intangibles assets have been impaired. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the general note to the financial statements for the reporting entity which may include, descriptions of the basis of presentation, business description, significant accounting policies, consolidations, reclassifications, new pronouncements not yet adopted and changes in accounting principles. + References No definition available. + Details
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