2.0.0.10 false Commitments and Contingencies 1110 - Disclosure - Commitments and Contingencies true false false false 1 usd $ false false USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDPerShare Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 2 Commitments and Contingencies 0 spls_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureAbstract spls false na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false false false false 1 false false false false 0 0 false false false No definition available. false 3 Commitments and Contingencies 1 us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureTextBlock us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false false false false false false false terselabel false 1 false false false false 0 0 <table style="font-size:10pt; font-family:'Times New Roman',times,serif;"> <tr> <td> Note K  Commitments and Contingencies   From time to time, the Company is involved in litigation arising from the operation of its business that is considered routine and incidental to its business. The Company does not expect the results of any of these actions to have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations, or financial condition.   At the time the Corporate Express tender offer was fully settled on July 23, 2008, Staples had acquired more than 99% of the outstanding capital stock of Corporate Express.  Staples has worked diligently to acquire the remaining capital stock of Corporate Express by means of a compulsory judicial squeeze out procedure in accordance with the Dutch Civil Code.  Staples and the other parties to the squeeze out procedure have submitted their arguments to the Dutch court and are awaiting a decision.  While Staples does not know the exact date that the Dutch court will render a judgment, it anticipates that a judgment will be rendered prior to the end of fiscal 2010.  There is, however, no guarantee that the court will render a judgment before such time.  Any additional payments will be recorded in equity pursuant to ASC Topic 810.   With the acquisition of Corporate Express, the Company became the majority 58.6% shareholder of Corporate Express Australia Limited (Corporate Express Australia), a public company traded on the Australian Stock Exchange.  On March 16, 2010, the Company announced that it had made an offer to acquire all of the noncontrolling interest in Corporate Express Australia for cash consideration of AUD$5.60 per share (the Offer), representing a total enterprise value of AUD$1.0 billion (approximately $930 million based on foreign exchange rates at May 1, 2010).  The Offer is subject to a 90% minimum acceptance condition and there being no significant movements in the Australian stock market.  Corporate Express Australias Board has unanimously recommended the Offer subject to no superior proposal emerging.</td></tr></table> Note K  Commitments and Contingencies   From time to time, the Company is involved in litigation arising from the operation of its business false false false Includes disclosure of commitments and contingencies. This element may be used as a single block of text to encapsulate the entire disclosure including data and tables. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 14 -Paragraph 3 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 5 -Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12 false false 1 2 false UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown false true