Acc 100 Week 5 Discussion.

Merchandising OperationsName:Institutional affiliationPeriodic Inventory vs. Perpetual Inventory TrackingPeriodic inventory and perpetual inventory systems are the two common methods that merchandises use to keep track of their inventories. For a periodic system, the company does not record the cost of goods sold until the end of a given period. Perpetual inventory on the other hand keeps track of the cost of goods sold on real-time using computer applications. The choice the method to use depends on the budget, volume of sale and the type of business.Wal-Mart Stores Inc,the leading multinational retail company in the world with the headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, United States has one of the most sophisticated inventory tracking systems in the world based on the perpetual inventory system. As transactions occur, they are continually updated on the general ledger or inventory ledger. The system is able tomonitor inventory sale and stock levels at real-time. For a merchandise chain as huge as Wal-Mart, the system enables the company to not only keep track of goods sold, but also goods returned back to the suppliers(Rich, 2014, p.295).Altitude Fine Art Photography Gallery based in Alma, Colorado on the other