Guarantor Subsidiaries (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended													4 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			52 Months Ended
	Jan. 28, 2012	Oct. 29, 2011	Jul. 30, 2011		Apr. 30, 2011	Jan. 29, 2011		Oct. 30, 2010		Jul. 31, 2010		May 01, 2010		Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 29, 2011	Jan. 30, 2010	Sep. 13, 2011	Jan. 31, 2009
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,264,149					$ 1,461,257								$ 1,264,149	$ 1,264,149	$ 1,461,257	$ 1,415,819
Merchandise inventories, net	2,431,845					2,359,173								2,431,845	2,431,845	2,359,173
Other current assets	2,594,826					2,647,737								2,594,826	2,594,826	2,647,737
Total current assets	6,290,820					6,468,167								6,290,820	6,290,820	6,468,167
Net property, equipment and other assets	3,157,672					3,370,338								3,157,672	3,157,672	3,370,338
Goodwill	3,982,130					4,073,162								3,982,130	3,982,130	4,073,162
Investment in affiliates and intercompany, net	0					0								0	0	0
Total assets	13,430,622					13,911,667								13,430,622	13,430,622	13,911,667	13,717,334
Total current liabilities	4,074,278					4,293,593								4,074,278	4,074,278	4,293,593
Total long-term liabilities	2,334,131					2,666,893								2,334,131	2,334,131	2,666,893
Total stockholder's equity	7,022,213					6,951,181								7,022,213	7,022,213	6,951,181	6,854,940		5,622,431
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	13,430,622					13,911,667								13,430,622	13,430,622	13,911,667
Sales	6,459,715	6,569,927	5,819,612	[1]	6,172,938	6,415,402	[2]	6,537,676	[3]	5,534,240	[4]	6,057,795	[5]		25,022,192	24,545,113	24,275,451
Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs															18,280,364	17,938,958	17,801,548
Gross Profit	1,732,274	1,832,781	1,540,380	[1]	1,636,393	1,720,644	[2]	1,803,748	[3]	1,462,708	[4]	1,619,055	[5]		6,741,828	6,606,155	6,473,903
Operating and other (income) expenses															5,282,687	5,249,560	5,318,009
Consolidated income before income taxes															1,459,141	1,356,595	1,155,894
Income tax expense															475,308	468,026	398,783
Consolidated net income (loss)															983,833	888,569	757,111
(Loss) income attributed to the noncontrolling interests															(823)	6,621	18,440
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.	283,593	326,380	176,438	[1]	198,245	274,742	[2]	288,680	[3]	129,756	[4]	188,770	[5]		984,656	881,948	738,671
Net cash provided by operating activities															1,576,475	1,446,491	2,084,208
Acquisition of property and equipment															(383,654)	(408,889)	(313,228)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired																(63,066)
Net cash used in investing activities															(383,654)	(471,955)	(313,228)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the sale of stock under employee stock purchase plans															73,866	85,429	150,958
Payments on issuance of commercial paper																	(1,195,557)
Proceeds from borrowings															301,843	201,566	1,211,424
Payments on borrowings, including payment of deferred financing fees															820,631	207,478	945,333
Purchase of Noncontrolling Interest															(10,000)	(360,595)	0
Purchase of treasury stock, net														(182,500)	(629,041)	(398,582)	(30,661)	(1,280,000)
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation arrangements															1,805	0	8,763
Cash dividends paid															(277,936)	(258,746)	(236,874)
Net cash used in financing activities															(1,360,094)	(938,406)	(1,037,280)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents															(29,835)	9,308	48,345
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents															(197,108)	45,438	782,045
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period					1,461,257							1,415,819			1,461,257	1,415,819	633,774
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	1,264,149					1,461,257								1,264,149	1,264,149	1,461,257	1,415,819
Parent Company [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	385,279					406,821								385,279	385,279	406,821	581,095
Merchandise inventories, net	0					0								0	0	0
Other current assets	68,608					64,699								68,608	68,608	64,699
Total current assets	453,887					471,520								453,887	453,887	471,520
Net property, equipment and other assets	671,787					742,833								671,787	671,787	742,833
Goodwill	1,644,728					1,617,937								1,644,728	1,644,728	1,617,937
Investment in affiliates and intercompany, net	5,951,426					6,691,832								5,951,426	5,951,426	6,691,832
Total assets	8,721,828					9,524,122								8,721,828	8,721,828	9,524,122
Total current liabilities	(13,544)					875,100								(13,544)	(13,544)	875,100
Total long-term liabilities	1,713,159					1,697,841								1,713,159	1,713,159	1,697,841
Total stockholder's equity	7,022,213					6,951,181								7,022,213	7,022,213	6,951,181
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	8,721,828					9,524,122								8,721,828	8,721,828	9,524,122
Sales															0	0	0
Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs															11,328	11,277	11,324
Gross Profit															(11,328)	(11,277)	(11,324)
Operating and other (income) expenses															(995,984)	(893,225)	(749,995)
Consolidated income before income taxes															984,656	881,948	738,671
Income tax expense															0	0	0
Consolidated net income (loss)															984,656	881,948	738,671
(Loss) income attributed to the noncontrolling interests															0	0	0
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.															984,656	881,948	738,671
Net cash provided by operating activities															1,334,183	479,783	1,709,923
Acquisition of property and equipment															(49,863)	(56,984)	(42,737)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired																0
Net cash used in investing activities															(49,863)	(56,984)	(42,737)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the sale of stock under employee stock purchase plans															73,866	85,429	150,958
Payments on issuance of commercial paper																	(1,195,557)
Proceeds from borrowings															93,856	71,033	869,380
Payments on borrowings, including payment of deferred financing fees															567,419	96,207	721,044
Purchase of Noncontrolling Interest															0	0
Purchase of treasury stock, net															(629,041)	(398,582)	(30,661)
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation arrangements															812		3,452
Cash dividends paid															(277,936)	(258,746)	(236,874)
Net cash used in financing activities															(1,305,862)	(597,073)	(1,160,346)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents															0	0	0
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents															(21,542)	(174,274)	506,840
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period					406,821							581,095			406,821	581,095	74,255
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	385,279					406,821								385,279	385,279	406,821	581,095
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	43,323					38,298								43,323	43,323	38,298	54,324
Merchandise inventories, net	1,437,074					1,396,667								1,437,074	1,437,074	1,396,667
Other current assets	1,188,378					1,147,433								1,188,378	1,188,378	1,147,433
Total current assets	2,668,775					2,582,398								2,668,775	2,668,775	2,582,398
Net property, equipment and other assets	1,165,840					1,246,194								1,165,840	1,165,840	1,246,194
Goodwill	156,303					154,527								156,303	156,303	154,527
Investment in affiliates and intercompany, net	6,935,956					4,783,397								6,935,956	6,935,956	4,783,397
Total assets	10,926,874					8,766,516								10,926,874	10,926,874	8,766,516
Total current liabilities	2,314,411					1,454,741								2,314,411	2,314,411	1,454,741
Total long-term liabilities	195,852					562,027								195,852	195,852	562,027
Total stockholder's equity	8,416,611					6,749,748								8,416,611	8,416,611	6,749,748
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	10,926,874					8,766,516								10,926,874	10,926,874	8,766,516
Sales															15,303,379	14,900,355	13,577,862
Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs															11,383,452	11,126,849	10,043,973
Gross Profit															3,919,927	3,773,506	3,533,889
Operating and other (income) expenses															3,096,381	3,072,351	2,956,530
Consolidated income before income taxes															823,546	701,155	577,359
Income tax expense															307,177	318,705	174,152
Consolidated net income (loss)															516,369	382,450	403,207
(Loss) income attributed to the noncontrolling interests															0	0	0
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.															516,369	382,450	403,207
Net cash provided by operating activities															197,956	198,293	159,872
Acquisition of property and equipment															(206,150)	(214,319)	(155,684)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired																0
Net cash used in investing activities															(206,150)	(214,319)	(155,684)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the sale of stock under employee stock purchase plans															0	0	0
Payments on issuance of commercial paper																	0
Proceeds from borrowings															12,378	0	0
Payments on borrowings, including payment of deferred financing fees															0	0	0
Purchase of Noncontrolling Interest															0	0
Purchase of treasury stock, net															0	0	0
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation arrangements															841		5,053
Cash dividends paid															0	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities															13,219	0	5,053
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents															0	0	0
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents															5,025	(16,026)	9,241
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period					38,298							54,324			38,298	54,324	45,083
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	43,323					38,298								43,323	43,323	38,298	54,324
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	835,547					1,016,138								835,547	835,547	1,016,138	780,400
Merchandise inventories, net	994,771					962,506								994,771	994,771	962,506
Other current assets	1,337,840					1,435,605								1,337,840	1,337,840	1,435,605
Total current assets	3,168,158					3,414,249								3,168,158	3,168,158	3,414,249
Net property, equipment and other assets	1,320,045					1,381,311								1,320,045	1,320,045	1,381,311
Goodwill	2,181,099					2,300,698								2,181,099	2,181,099	2,300,698
Investment in affiliates and intercompany, net	10,988,680					7,001,204								10,988,680	10,988,680	7,001,204
Total assets	17,657,982					14,097,462								17,657,982	17,657,982	14,097,462
Total current liabilities	1,773,411					1,963,752								1,773,411	1,773,411	1,963,752
Total long-term liabilities	425,120					407,025								425,120	425,120	407,025
Total stockholder's equity	15,459,451					11,726,685								15,459,451	15,459,451	11,726,685
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	17,657,982					14,097,462								17,657,982	17,657,982	14,097,462
Sales															9,718,813	9,644,758	10,697,589
Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs															6,885,584	6,800,832	7,746,251
Gross Profit															2,833,229	2,843,926	2,951,338
Operating and other (income) expenses															2,181,477	2,154,558	2,261,707
Consolidated income before income taxes															651,752	689,368	689,631
Income tax expense															168,131	149,321	224,631
Consolidated net income (loss)															483,621	540,047	465,000
(Loss) income attributed to the noncontrolling interests															(823)	6,621	18,440
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.															484,444	533,426	446,560
Net cash provided by operating activities															44,336	768,415	214,413
Acquisition of property and equipment															(127,641)	(137,586)	(114,807)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired																(63,066)
Net cash used in investing activities															(127,641)	(200,652)	(114,807)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the sale of stock under employee stock purchase plans															0	0	0
Payments on issuance of commercial paper																	0
Proceeds from borrowings															195,609	130,533	342,044
Payments on borrowings, including payment of deferred financing fees															253,212	111,271	224,289
Purchase of Noncontrolling Interest															(10,000)	(360,595)
Purchase of treasury stock, net															0	0	0
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation arrangements															152		258
Cash dividends paid															0	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities															(67,451)	(341,333)	118,013
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents															(29,835)	9,308	48,345
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents															(180,591)	235,738	265,964
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period					1,016,138							780,400			1,016,138	780,400	514,436
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	835,547					1,016,138								835,547	835,547	1,016,138	780,400
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	0					0								0	0	0
Merchandise inventories, net	0					0								0	0	0
Other current assets	0					0								0	0	0
Total current assets	0					0								0	0	0
Net property, equipment and other assets	0					0								0	0	0
Goodwill	0					0								0	0	0
Investment in affiliates and intercompany, net	(23,876,062)					(18,476,433)								(23,876,062)	(23,876,062)	(18,476,433)
Total assets	(23,876,062)					(18,476,433)								(23,876,062)	(23,876,062)	(18,476,433)
Total current liabilities	0					0								0	0	0
Total long-term liabilities	0					0								0	0	0
Total stockholder's equity	(23,876,062)					(18,476,433)								(23,876,062)	(23,876,062)	(18,476,433)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	(23,876,062)					(18,476,433)								(23,876,062)	(23,876,062)	(18,476,433)
Sales															0	0	0
Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs															0	0	0
Gross Profit															0	0	0
Operating and other (income) expenses															1,000,813	915,876	849,767
Consolidated income before income taxes															(1,000,813)	(915,876)	(849,767)
Income tax expense															0	0	0
Consolidated net income (loss)															(1,000,813)	(915,876)	(849,767)
(Loss) income attributed to the noncontrolling interests															0	0	0
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.															(1,000,813)	(915,876)	(849,767)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period					0										0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 0					$ 0								$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

[1] Results of operation for this period include a $20.8 million tax benefit related to a refund due to Corporate Express from the Italian government that was previously deemed uncollectible, which was recorded as a discrete item.

[2] Results of operation for this period include a $4.6 million charge, net of taxes ($0.01 per diluted share) related to integration and restructuring costs.

[3] Results of operation for this period include a $5.6 million charge, net of taxes ($0.01 per diluted share) related to integration and restructuring costs.

[4] Results of operation for this period include a $13.5 million charge, net of taxes ($0.02 per diluted share) related to integration and restructuring costs.

[5] Results of operation for this period include a $13.1 million charge, net of taxes ($0.02 per diluted share) related to integration and restructuring costs.