Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Nov. 24, 2012	Dec. 24, 2012
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Nov. 24, 2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Trading Symbol	fdo
Entity Registrant Name	FAMILY DOLLAR STORES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000034408
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		115,805,324