Quarterly Summary (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended																	12 Months Ended
	May 04, 2013	Feb. 02, 2013		Oct. 27, 2012		Jul. 28, 2012		Apr. 28, 2012		Jan. 28, 2012		Oct. 29, 2011		Jul. 30, 2011		Apr. 30, 2011		Feb. 02, 2013	Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 29, 2011
Sales		$ 6,567,980,000	[1],[2]	$ 6,353,140,000	[3]	$ 5,433,969,000		$ 6,025,421,000		$ 6,374,306,000		$ 6,481,023,000		$ 5,722,798,000	[4]	$ 6,086,625,000		$ 24,380,510,000	$ 24,664,752,000	$ 24,135,253,000
Gross Profit		1,719,409,000	[1],[2]	1,751,854,000	[3]	1,419,415,000		1,600,583,000		1,718,882,000		1,820,982,000		1,526,654,000	[4]	1,623,350,000		6,491,261,000	6,689,868,000	6,535,247,000
Consolidated net (loss) income		78,058,000	[1],[2]	(596,291,000)	[3]	120,395,000		187,013,000		283,521,000		326,330,000		176,300,000	[4]	197,682,000		(210,825,000)	983,833,000	888,569,000
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent		89,950,000	[1],[2]	(568,693,000)	[3]	125,142,000		192,873,000		283,662,000		323,770,000		178,977,000	[4]	201,811,000		(160,728,000)	988,220,000	892,339,000
Loss from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent		(11,892,000)	[1],[2]	(27,559,000)	[3]	(4,713,000)		(5,814,000)		(69,000)		2,610,000		(2,539,000)	[4]	(3,566,000)		(49,978,000)	(3,564,000)	(10,391,000)
Net income attributed to Staples, Inc.		78,058,000	[1],[2]	(596,252,000)	[3]	120,429,000		187,059,000		283,593,000		326,380,000		176,438,000	[4]	198,245,000		(210,706,000)	984,656,000	881,948,000
Basic Earnings per Common Share:
Continuing operations attributed to Staples, Inc.		$ 0.14	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.85)	[3],[5]	$ 0.19	[5]	$ 0.28	[5]	$ 0.41	[5]	$ 0.47	[5]	$ 0.25	[4],[5]	$ 0.29	[5]	$ (0.24)	$ 1.42	$ 1.24
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share		$ (0.02)	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.04)	[3],[5]	$ (0.01)	[5]	$ (0.01)	[5]	$ 0.00	[5]	$ 0.00	[5]	$ 0.00	[4],[5]	$ (0.01)	[5]	$ (0.07)	$ 0.00	$ (0.01)
Net (loss) income attributed to Staples, Inc.		$ 0.12	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.89)	[3],[5]	$ 0.18	[5]	$ 0.27	[5]	$ 0.41	[5]	$ 0.47	[5]	$ 0.25	[4],[5]	$ 0.28	[5]	$ (0.31)	$ 1.42	$ 1.23
Earnings Per Share, Diluted [Abstract]
Continuing operations attributed to Staples, Inc.		$ 0.14	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.85)	[3],[5]	$ 0.19	[5]	$ 0.28	[5]	$ 0.41	[5]	$ 0.46	[5]	$ 0.25	[4],[5]	$ 0.28	[5]	$ (0.24)	$ 1.40	$ 1.22
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Diluted Share		$ (0.02)	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.04)	[3],[5]	$ (0.01)	[5]	$ (0.01)	[5]	$ 0.00	[5]	$ 0.01	[5]	$ 0.00	[4],[5]	$ 0.00	[5]	$ (0.07)	$ 0.00	$ (0.01)
Net (loss) income attributed to Staples, Inc.		$ 0.12	[1],[2],[5]	$ (0.89)	[3],[5]	$ 0.18	[5]	$ 0.27	[5]	$ 0.41	[5]	$ 0.47	[5]	$ 0.25	[4],[5]	$ 0.28	[5]	$ (0.31)	$ 1.40	$ 1.21
Impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets				811,000,000														810,996,000	0	0
Restructuring Charges		176,600,000		30,400,000														207,016,000	0	57,765,000
Restructuring Reserve, Accelerated Depreciation		4,500,000		15,600,000														20,000,000
Tax Refund														20,800,000
Number Of Weeks In Quarter		14																13
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	(33,700)																	(56,958,000)	0	0
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments																		$ (26,211,000)	$ 0	$ 0

[1] (2)Results of operations for this period include a $176.6 million restructuring charge (see Note B - Restructuring Charges), $4.5 million of accelerated tradename amortization related to rebranding the Company's business in Australia, a $57.0 million loss on early extinguishment of debt

[2] (4)The Company's fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes 14 weeks of operating results, while all other quarterly periods presented include 13 weeks.

[3] (1)Results of operations for this period include an $811.0 million impairment of goodwill and long-lived asset charge (see Note C - Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets), a $30.4 million restructuring charge (see Note B - Restructuring Charges) and $15.6 million of accelerated tradename amortization related to rebranding the Company's business in Australia.

[4] (3)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.

[5] (5)The sum of the quarterly earnings per common share may not tie to the year-to-date earnings per common share due to rounding.