| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | A. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 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 2019 represents the 52-week period ended February 1, 2020 , fiscal 2018 represents the 52-week period ended February 2, 2019 , and fiscal 2017 represents the 53-week period ended February 3, 2018 . Nature of Operations - The Company is a retailer of medium to better-priced casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for fashion-conscious young men and women. The Company operates its business as one reportable segment and sells its merchandise through its retail stores and e-Commerce platform. The Company operated 448 stores located in 42 states throughout the United States as of February 1, 2020 . During fiscal 2019 , the Company opened 2 new stores, substantially remodeled 5 stores, and closed 4 stores. During fiscal 2018 , the Company did not open any new stores, substantially remodeled 6 stores, and closed 7 stores. During fiscal 2017 , the Company opened 2 new stores, substantially remodeled 8 stores, and closed 12 stores. 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 - 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 $15,319 and $16,634 as of February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019 , 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 $2,257 as of February 1, 2020 and $2,182 as of February 2, 2019 . The Company's Guest Loyalty 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. Reported revenue is net of both current period reward redemptions and accruals for estimated future rewards earned under the Guest Loyalty 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, 2020 and February 2, 2019 , $9,615 and $10,910 was included in "accrued store operating expenses" as a liability for estimated future rewards. Through partnership with Comenity Bank, the Company offers a private label credit card ("PLCC"). Customers with a PLCC are enrolled in our B-Rewards incentive program and earn points for every qualifying purchase on their card. At the end of each rewards period, customers who have exceeded a minimum point threshold receive a reward to be redeemed on a future purchase. The B-Rewards program also provides other discount and promotional opportunities to cardholders on a routine basis. Reported revenue is net of both current period reward redemptions, current period discounts and promotions, and accruals for estimated future rewards earned under the B-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, which is included in "gift certificates redeemable" on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. 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 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 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 $12,178 and $10,586 as of February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019 , respectively. Property and Equipment - Property and equipment are stated on the basis of historical cost. Depreciation is provided using a combination of accelerated and straight-line methods based upon the estimated useful lives of the assets. The majority of property and equipment have useful lives of five to ten 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 - Costs related to opening new stores are expensed as incurred. Advertising Costs - Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and were $11,406 , $10,661 , and $18,075 for fiscal years 2019 , 2018 , and 2017 , respectively. 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 $685 and $890 as of February 1, 2020 and February 2, 2019 , respectively. Leases - The Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) effective February 3, 2019. For fiscal years ending prior to this date, the Company followed the guidance for leases under FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 840, Leases. See Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements below and Footnote D, Leases, for further details. Other Income - The Company’s other income is derived primarily from interest and dividends received on cash and investments. Income Taxes - The Company records a deferred tax asset and liability for expected future tax consequences resulting from temporary differences between 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, 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 - 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 - 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 - In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which superseded the requirements in ASC Topic 840, Leases. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases are classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company adopted Topic 842 on February 3, 2019, using the optional transition method. Under this transition method, the prior period comparative information has not been adjusted and continues to be reported under Topic 840. The Company has elected to apply the "practical expedient package," which permits it to not reassess previous conclusions around lease identification, lease classification, and initial direct costs. Topic 842 also provides a practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for new leases as well as existing leases through transition, which the Company has elected to apply for each class of underlying assets. The Company did not elect the use of the hindsight practical expedient. Further, the Company has made an accounting policy election to exclude short-term leases from the recognition requirements. As a result of the adoption of the standard, the Company recognized net ROU assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $362,589 and $389,849 , respectively, as of February 3, 2019 based on the present value of the total fixed payments for retail store and corporate office operating leases. These payments were discounted using the Company's incremental borrowing rate which was determined based on information available at the commencement date, including lease term. The adoption of Topic 842 did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations for the fifty-two week period ended February 1, 2020. See Footnote D, Leases, for further details. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value investments. The amendments are effective for all entities for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company will adopt this ASU in fiscal 2020 and does not expect a material impact from the adoption to its Consolidated Financial Statements. Supplemental Cash Flow Information - The Company had non-cash investing activities during fiscal years 2019 , 2018 , and 2017 of $(150) , $(38) , and $276 , 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 $559 , $409 , and $371 as of February 1, 2020 , February 2, 2019 , and February 3, 2018 , 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 2019 , 2018 , and 2017 of $34,516 , $37,309 , and $48,456 , respectively. |
