Document and Company Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Oct. 24, 2011
Document and Company Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	RENT A CENTER INC DE
Entity Central Index Key	0000933036
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		58,754,647