Accrued Expenses and Other (Details) (USD $)			12 Months Ended
	Aug. 27, 2011	Aug. 28, 2010	Aug. 27, 2011 Workers' compensation and property [Member]	Aug. 27, 2011 Employee health [Member]	Aug. 27, 2011 General, products liability, and vehicle [Member]
Accrued Expenses and Other (Textuals) [Abstract]
Maximum limits per claim for self-insured plan, per annum			$ 1,500,000	$ 500,000	$ 1,000,000
Accrued Expenses and Other
Medical and casualty insurance claims (current portion)	55,896,000	60,955,000
Accrued compensation, related payroll taxes and benefits	151,419,000	134,830,000
Property, sales, and other taxes	89,675,000	102,364,000
Accrued interest	33,811,000	31,091,000
Accrued gift cards	27,406,000	22,013,000
Accrued sales and warranty returns	16,269,000	14,679,000
Capital lease obligations	25,296,000	21,947,000
Other	49,555,000	44,489,000
Total	$ 449,327,000	$ 432,368,000