Represents the number of current and former store managers court ordered notices to be sent.

No definition available.

Name:	rad_NumberOfCurrentAndFormerStoreManagersCourtOrderNoticesSent
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of current and former store managers who have joined the legal action.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfCurrentAndFormerStoreManagersJoinedToAction
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of current and former store managers to whom notices will be sent after the Court approves motion.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfCurrentAndFormerStoreManagersToWhomNoticesWillBeSentAfterCourtApproval
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Number of document productions requested.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfDocumentProductions
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of government requested prescriptions the company produce.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfPrescriptionsRequestedCompanyProduce
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of similar cases in the court system that are pending a decision that may affect the outcome of a legal motion of the entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfSimilarCases
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of states the entity failed to report Rx Savings prices as its usual and customary charges under the Medicare Part D program and to federal and state Medicaid programs.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rad_NumberOfStatesWhereFailedToReportRxSavingsPrices
Namespace Prefix:	rad_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingenciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The total number of new claims filed pertaining to a loss contingency during the period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 450
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingencyNewClaimsFiledNumber
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=rad_WalgreensBootsAllianceIncAndVictoriaMergerSubInc.Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=rad_IndergitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=rad_HallMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=stpr_DE
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=stpr_PA
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=rad_DelawareAndPennsylvaniaMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees (Details)						12 Months Ended
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees (Details)	Sep. 30, 2016 item	Dec. 23, 2015 case	Jun. 15, 2015 item	Jul. 30, 2014 item	May 15, 2014 item	Mar. 04, 2017 case item StoreManager	Jan. 19, 2017 state
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of states failed to report Rx savings prices \| state							18
Number of document productions \| item						4
Number of prescriptions requested the company produce \| item	242		80	30	60
WBA Merger
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of lawsuits						10
Indergit
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of current and former store managers court ordered notices to be sent \| StoreManager						7,000
Number of current and former store managers who joined the action \| StoreManager						1,550
Number of current and former store managers to whom notices will be sent after the Court approval \| StoreManager						1,750
Hall
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of similar cases						2
DELAWARE
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of lawsuits		8
DELAWARE \| WBA Merger
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of lawsuits						8
PENNSYLVANIA \| WBA Merger
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of lawsuits						1
DELAWARE AND PENNSYLVANIA \| WBA Merger
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Number of lawsuits						9