Chapter 1, Problem 21P

Traditional and Contribution Format Income Statements.
Marwick’s Pianos, Inc., purchases pianos from a large manufacturer for an average cost of $2,450 per unit and then sells them to retail customers for an average price of $3,125 each. The company’s selling and administrative costs for a typical month are presented below:

During August, Marwick’s Pianos, Inc., sold and delivered 40 pianos.
Required:
1. Prepare a traditional format income statement for August.
2. Prepare a contribution format income statement for August. Show costs and revenues on both a total and a per unit basis down through contribution margin.
3. Refer to the income statement you prepared in (2) above. Why might it be misleading to show the fixed costs on a per unit basis?