COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details) (UFCW Consolidated Pension Plan, USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Nov. 03, 2012	Jan. 28, 2012 item
UFCW Consolidated Pension Plan
Commitments and Contingencies
Accrual related to the UFCW consolidated pension plan	$ 258	$ 311
Number of multi-employer pension funds before consolidation		4
Number of multi-employer pension plans after the consolidation		1

Represents the number of multi-employer pension funds before being consolidated into one multi-employer pension fund.

No definition available.

Name:	kr_NumberOfMultiEmployerPensionFunds
Namespace Prefix:	kr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant