Note 8 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details Textual) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 27, 2016		Aug. 29, 2015	Aug. 30, 2014
US and Canadian Rental and Cleaning [Member]
Goodwill	$ 315,900,000
Specialty Garments [Member]
Goodwill	4,100,000
First Aid [Member]
Goodwill	600,000
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment	0		$ 0	$ 0
Goodwill	$ 320,641,000	[1]	$ 313,133,000	$ 303,648,000

[1] In the second fiscal quarter of 2016, the Company adopted updated accounting guidance on the presentation of deferred income taxes. This adoption required that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company elected to account for this change in presentation prospectively and prior periods were not retroactively adjusted.