Dollar General 2011 Annual Report Download - page 132

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10-K
Earnings per share;
Earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization; and
Return on invested capital.
Readers should refer to the detailed discussion of our operating results below for additional
comments on financial performance in the current year periods as compared with the prior year
periods.
Results of Operations
Accounting Periods. The following text contains references to years 2011, 2010 and 2009, which
represent fiscal years ended February 3, 2012, January 28, 2011 and January 29, 2010, respectively. Our
fiscal year ends on the Friday closest to January 31. Fiscal year 2011 was a 53-week accounting period
and fiscal years 2010 and 2009 were 52-week accounting periods.
Seasonality. The nature of our business is seasonal to a certain extent. Primarily because of sales
of holiday-related merchandise, sales in our fourth quarter (November, December and January) have
historically been higher than sales achieved in each of the first three quarters of the fiscal year.
Expenses and, to a greater extent, operating profit vary by quarter. Results of a period shorter than a
full year may not be indicative of results expected for the entire year. Furthermore, the seasonal nature
of our business may affect comparisons between periods.
32