Inventory and Depreciation
Inventory and Depreciation Learning Unit C-1 HOW TO ASSIGN COSTS TO ENDING INVENTORY ITEMS The method one uses to assign costs to ending inventory will have a direct effect on the company’s cost of goods sold and profit. Look at the accompanying diagram and note that in each column that ending inventory has a different value assigned to it. Note also how this affects gross profit in each of the four columns. A B CD Net sales $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 Beginning Inventory $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 Net Purchases 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 Cost of Goods Available 24,000 24,000 24,000 24,000 for Sale Ending Inventory 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 Cost of Goods Sold 19,000 18,000 17,000 16,000 Gross Profit $31,000 $32,000 $33,000 $34,000 If all inventory brought into a store had the same cost, it would be simple to calculate ending inventory, and we would not have to include this appendix in the book. Unfortunately, things are not that easy; often the very same products are pur- chased and brought into the store at different costs during the same accounting period. Over the years there have developed four generally accepted methods to assign a cost to ending inventory. They are: (1) specific invoice, (2) weighted-average, (3) first-in, first-out, and (4) last-in, first-out. Each is based on the flow of costs, not the flow of goods (the actual physical movement of goods sold in a store).
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