ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES (policies)	9 Months Ended
ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES (policies)	Sep. 26, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Financial Statement Preparation	Financial statement preparation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) of TrueBlue, Inc. (the "Company", "we", "us", "our", and "TrueBlue") are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures usually found in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted. The financial statements reflect all adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are necessary to fairly state the financial statements for the interim periods presented. We follow the same accounting policies for preparing both quarterly and annual financial statements. Effective June 30, 2014, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of Staffing Solutions Holdings, Inc., ("Seaton") a Chicago-based corporation, for a cash purchase price of approximately $308.0 million, net of cash acquired. The Seaton acquisition expanded the scope of our services from specialized temporary blue-collar staffing services. Seaton provides high-volume permanent employee recruitment process outsourcing, outsourced workforce management, and management of outsourced labor service providers through its PeopleScout, hrX, and Staff Management \| SMX service lines. Seaton's customers include a broad range of industries such as airline, financial services, retail, manufacturing, and transportation. Seaton's operations will continue to be managed and supported from Chicago. The consolidated financial statements include the results of operations and cash flows of Seaton from the acquisition date to September 26, 2014 and not from any prior periods, except with respect to the Supplemental Unaudited Pro Forma Information included in Note 2: Acquisition. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2013. The results of operations for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 26, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full fiscal year or for any other fiscal period.
Fiscal Period End	Fiscal period end Our fiscal period ends on the last Friday of the month. Seaton has a fiscal period end of the last Sunday of the month. Seaton’s results for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2014 have been combined with TrueBlue’s results for the thirteen weeks ended September 26, 2014.
Goodwill and intangible assets	Goodwill and intangible assets We have historically evaluated our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level annually as of the last day of our fiscal third quarter or when indications of potential impairment exist. In the first quarter of 2014, we changed the date of our annual assessment of goodwill impairment to the first day of our fiscal second quarter of each year. This is a change in method of applying an accounting principle, which management believes is preferable because it better aligns the timing of the assessment with our planning and forecasting process and alleviates constraints on accounting resources during our annual reporting process. The change in the assessment date does not delay, accelerate, or avoid a potential impairment charge. Due to significant judgments and estimates utilized in our goodwill impairment analysis, management has determined that it is impracticable to objectively determine projected cash flows and related valuation estimates that would have been used as of the first day of the second quarter of each prior reporting period without the use of hindsight. As of the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2014, we performed our annual assessment of goodwill impairment. Based on our assessment, all of our reporting units' fair values were significantly in excess of their carrying values. We consider a reporting unit’s fair value to be substantially in excess of its carrying value at 20% or greater. Accordingly, no impairment loss was required to be recognized.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards	Recently adopted accounting standards Effective December 28, 2013, we adopted the accounting standard regarding the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The standard requires that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except to the extent when, for certain reasons, it is not available. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial statements. Effective December 28, 2013, we early adopted the accounting standard regarding reporting discontinued operations and disposals of components of an entity. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations or that have a major effect on a company's operations and results of operations should be presented as discontinued operations. The standard amends the requirement for reporting discontinued operations and requires additional disclosures about disposals of individually material components that are not classified as discontinued operations. The standard is effective for fiscal year-ends beginning after December 15, 2014, however early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently issued accounting pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 related to revenue recognition. This guidance sets forth a five-step revenue recognition model, which supersedes the prior revenue recognition guidance, as well as most industry-specific revenue recognition guidance that previously existed in GAAP. The underlying principle of the new standard is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects in exchange for the goods or services. The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not addressed completely in the prior accounting guidance. The ASU provides two methods of initial adoption: retrospective for all periods presented, or through a cumulative adjustment in the year of adoption. It is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is not permitted. We have not yet determined which method of adoption will be applied and are currently evaluating the impact that this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Disclosure of accounting policy for determining an entity's fiscal year or other fiscal period. This disclosure may include identification of the fiscal period end-date, the length of the fiscal period, any reporting period lag between the entity and its subsidiaries, or equity investees. If a reporting lag exists, the closing date of the entity having a different period end is generally noted, along with an explanation of the necessity for using different closing dates. Any intervening events that materially affect the entity's financial position or results of operations are generally also disclosed.

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