Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Aug. 03, 2013	Aug. 30, 2013 Common Stock	Aug. 30, 2013 Class A Common Stock
Entity Registrant Name	BON TON STORES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000878079
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Aug. 03, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--02-01
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		17,536,512	2,951,490
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2