Is inventory the same as merchandise inventory?

Merchandise inventory is finished goods acquired for sale by retail or wholesale traders. Finished goods possessed for sale by manufactures are usually called finished goods inventory.

Since accounting is the same for merchandise inventory and finished goods inventory, the merchandise inventory here is referred to both.

Some goods are purchased in finished condition, ready to sell.

Is inventory the same as merchandise inventory?

For example:-

Retail cloth firms normally purchase pant cloths, shirt cloths, ready-made shirts, pants, and blouse etc. which are always ready for sale.

Related: Accounting Process

Another example, retail firms’ hardware stores purchases hammers, nails, wrenches, and bolts etc. for ready sale.

Other goods are purchased that require some minor finishing or assembling to make them ready for sale.

For examples:-

Bicycles are purchased in un-assembled condition. To make them ready for sale they need to be assembled. Since such finishing activities are minor goods these are included in merchandise inventory.

But manufacturing companies purchase raw materials that they must convert into finished products.

For example:-

Furniture manufacturers purchase wood, plastic, glue, nails and other required raw materials and convert them into finished products like a table, chairs, shelves, desks, etc. and these are finished goods inventory.

To be included in merchandise inventory finished goods must be ready for sale. Thus, the same assets represented by one firm as merchandise inventory may be considered differently by another firm.

Suppose, for example:-

The Dakar Furniture House has desks and file cabinets in its warehouse ready for sale and these are considered as merchandise inventory.

The Modern Plumbing Supply Company buys some of these desks and file cabinets for its office use; these assets are considered as its office equipment.

Any goods, whether it is the iron one or sheet steel or toy trains, if it is finished goods and ready for sale, it is the merchandise inventory of the firm that owns it.

Definition: Merchandise inventory is goods that a company purchases and plans to resell to customers at a higher price. Typically, retailers and wholesalers are the only businesses with merchandise inventory. Manufacturers produce inventory, but they don’t purchase it and resell it. Thus, a manufacturer’s inventory isn’t considered merchandise inventory.

What Does Merchandise Inventory Mean?

Retailers, wholesalers, and distributors buy goods from manufacturers and actively market or merchandise the goods to customers. The distinction between a retailer’s customer and a manufacturer’s customer is that a retail customer is the end user of the product.

Retailers record their inventory on the balance sheet as a current asset and usually listed below cash and accounts receivable.

Here’s an example of the typical merchandiser’s operating cycle and the journal entries required.

When a retailer purchases inventory from a manufacturer, it is recorded as an asset by debiting the inventory account and crediting cash or accounts payable. Notice that inventory is not expensed until it is actually sold. Here is the entry to record a bulk inventory purchase by a retailer early in the year.

Later, when the retailer sells $100 of that merchandise inventory to a customer for $500, the cash account is debited and the revenues account is credited for the same about. The inventory account is credited for the amount the retailer paid for the inventory and the cost of goods sold account is debited for the same account.

Basically, all merchandise is capitalized when it is purchased and recorded on the balance sheet as a current asset. When it’s later sold to a customer, the inventory is transferred from the asset account to an expense account. You can think of the merchandise inventory account as a holding account for inventory that is waiting to be sold.


Is inventory the same as merchandise inventory?

merchandise | inventory |

As nouns the difference between merchandise and inventory

is that merchandise is (uncountable) commodities offered for sale while inventory is (operations) the stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business.

As verbs the difference between merchandise and inventory

is that merchandise is (archaic) to engage in trade; to carry on commerce while inventory is (operations) to take stock of the resources or items on hand; to produce an inventory.

merchandise

English

Alternative forms

* merchandize , merchaundise (obsolete),merchaundize (obsolete)

Noun

(en-noun)

  • (uncountable) Commodities offered for sale.
  • ''good business depends on having good merchandise
  • (countable) A commodity offered for sale; an article of commerce; a kind of merchandise.
  • (uncountable) The act or business of trading; trade; traffic.
  • Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "merchandise": returned, used, damaged, stolen, assorted, lost, promotional, industrial, cheap, expensive, imported, good, inferior.

    Synonyms

    * wares * product

    Verb

    (merchandis)

  • (archaic) To engage in trade; to carry on commerce.
  • (Francis Bacon)
  • To engage in in-store promotion of the sale of goods, as by display and arrangement of goods.
  • He started his career merchandising in a small clothing store chain.
  • (archaic) To engage in the trade of.
  • To engage in in-store promotion of the sale of.
  • He got hired to merchandise some new sporting goods lines.
  • To promote as if for sale.
  • The record companies don't get as good a return on merchandising artists under contract.

    inventory

    Noun

    (inventories)

  • (operations) The stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business
  • Due to an undersized inventory at the Boston outlet, customers had to travel to Providence to find the item.
  • (operations) a detailed list of all of the items on hand
  • The inventory included several items that one wouldn't normally think to find at a cheese shop.
  • (operations) the process of producing or updating such a list
  • This month's inventory took nearly three days.
  • (lb) A space containing the available to a character for immediate use.
  • Verb

    (en-verb)

  • (operations) To take stock of the resources or items on hand; to produce an inventory.
  • The main job of the night shift was to inventory the store, and restock when necessary.

    Synonyms

    * (take stock) index

    Is merchandise inventory a inventory?

    Merchandise inventory refers to the value of goods in stock, whether it's finished goods or raw materials that are ready to sell, that are intended to be resold to customers. Think of it as a holding account for inventory that is expected to be sold soon.

    What are the two types of merchandise inventory?

    The two systems for maintaining merchandise inventory are periodic and perpetual. There are also two University-approved methods for determining the monetary value of merchandise inventory: First In, First Out (FIFO) - Required for periodic inventories, can also be used for perpetual.

    What are the 4 types of inventory?

    While there are many types of inventory, the four major ones are raw materials and components, work in progress, finished goods and maintenance, repair and operating supplies.

    What is an example of merchandise inventory?

    Furniture manufacturers purchase wood, plastic, glue, nails and other required raw materials and convert them into finished products like a table, chairs, shelves, desks, etc. and these are finished goods inventory. To be included in merchandise inventory finished goods must be ready for sale.