Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 28, 2012	Aug. 23, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	rue21, inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001471458
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jul. 28, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-28
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		23,792,344