Share-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended																									12 Months Ended
	Aug. 03, 2012	Jul. 29, 2011	Jul. 30, 2010	Aug. 03, 2012 MSU Grants [Member]	Jul. 29, 2011 MSU Grants [Member]	Jul. 30, 2010 MSU Grants [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Options [Member]		Jul. 29, 2011 Options [Member]		Jul. 30, 2010 Options [Member]		Aug. 03, 2012 Nonvested Stock [Member]	Jul. 29, 2011 Nonvested Stock [Member]	Jul. 30, 2010 Nonvested Stock [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Nonvested Stock [Member] Minimum [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Nonvested Stock [Member] Maximum [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 Other Share Based Awards [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 Other Share Based Awards [Member] Minimum [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 Other Share Based Awards [Member] Maximum [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Directors Plan [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Employee Plan [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Omnibus Plan 2010 [Member]	Dec. 01, 2010 Omnibus Plan 2010 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Omnibus Plan 2010 [Member] Options [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Long-Term Performance Plan 2010 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Long-Term Performance Plan 2011 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Long-Term Performance Plan 2012 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 MSU Grants 2011 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 MSU Grants 2012 [Member]	Aug. 03, 2012 Omnibus Plan 2002 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of active compensation plans	1
Number of other compensation plans	4
Number of shares of the Company's common stock originally authorized for issuance (in shares)																									1,500,000
Common stock reserved for future issuance																								1,256,509
Number of years to expiration date from grant date (in years)							10 years														1 year	10 years	10 years									10 years
Outstanding awards at period end (in shares)							404,000		1,124,000												16,110	42,546	205,055	374,934								137,384
Option to purchase common stock (in shares)																		25,000
Option to purchase nonvested stock grants (in shares)																		25,000
Number of nonvested stock grants vest over three years (in shares)																		16,666
Number of nonvested stock grants vest over a two-year period (in shares)																		8,334
Performance period				three-year																							2010	2011 - 2012	2012 - 2013
Stock grants vesting period																2 years	5 years		2 years	3 years							3 years	2 years	2 years
Number of shares accrued (in shares)																												97,000	140,000	51,000	29,000
Nonvested Stock [Roll Forward]
Unvested at beginning of period (in shares)													339,000
Granted (in shares)													43,000
Vested (in shares)													(302,000)
Forfeited (in shares)													0
Unvested at end of period (in shares)													80,000	339,000
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value, Nonvested Stock [Abstract]
Weighted average grant date fair value, unvested at beginning of period (in dollars per share)													$ 42.31
Weighted average grant date fair value, granted (in dollars per share)													$ 46.22
Weighted average grant date fair value, vested (in dollars per share)													$ 42.96
Forfeited (in dollars per share)													$ 0
Unvested at end of period (in dollars per share)													$ 41.97	$ 42.31
Fair value of nonvested stock that vested													$ 12,981,000	$ 4,393,000	$ 2,667,000
Number of executives eligible under the plan				7
Yearly exercisable cumulative rate (in hundredths)				33.00%																						33.00%
Incremental compensation expense					1,221,000
Percentage of shares that may be awarded to the executives, maximum (in hundredths)	150.00%
Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Dividend yield range (in hundredths)				2.20%	1.60%				1.70%		2.50%
Expected volatility ( in hundredths)				45.00%	43.00%				40.00%		47.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum (in hundredths)									0.30%		0.40%
Risk-free interest rate (in hundredths)				0.30%	0.80%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum (in hundredths)									4.60%		5.10%
Expected term									6 years 7 months 6 days		6 years 9 months 18 days
Percentage change in total shareholder return (in hundredths)				141.00%	134.10%
Fixed Options - shares [Roll Forward]
Outstanding at beginning of period (in shares)							1,124,000																	374,934
Granted (in shares)							0
Exercised (in shares)							(683,000)
Forfeited (in shares)							(3,000)
Canceled (in shares)							(34,000)
Outstanding at end of period (in shares)							404,000		1,124,000												16,110	42,546	205,055	374,934								137,384
Exercisable (in shares)							324,000
Fixed Options - Weighted Average Price [Abstract]
Weighted average price, outstanding at beginning of period (in dollars per share)							$ 33.01
Weighted average price, granted (in dollars per share)							$ 0
Weighted average price, exercised (in dollars per share)							$ 33.45
Weighted average price, forfeited (in dollars per share)							$ 31.58
Weighted average price, canceled (in dollars per share)							$ 21.88
Weighted average price, outstanding at end of period (in dollars per share)							$ 33.22		$ 33.01
Weighted average price, exercisable (in dollars per share)							$ 33.62
Fixed Options - Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term [Abstract]
Weighted-average remaining contractual term, outstanding at end of period (in years)							4 years 4 months 9 days
Weighted average remaining contractual term, exercisable (in years)							3 years 8 months 8 days
Fixed Options - Aggregate Intrinsic Value [Abstract]
Aggregate intrinsic value, outstanding at end of period							12,014,000
Aggregate intrinsic value, exercisable							9,512,000
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of options granted (in dollars per share)							$ 0		$ 16.81		$ 12.03
Intrinsic values of options exercised							14,859,000	[1]	11,713,000	[1]	21,602,000	[1]
Compensation cost	14,420,000	9,796,000	13,193,000	1,690,000	989,000	0	1,290,000		2,155,000		3,194,000		11,440,000	6,652,000	9,999,000
Total unrecognized compensation				1,761,000			85,000						1,911,000
Weighted average period in years				1 year 7 months 20 days			1 month 6 days						2 years 0 months 14 days
Income tax benefit recognized for share-based compensation	4,254,000	2,576,000	3,470,000
Number of shares issued from the exercise of share-based compensation awards (in shares)	897,588
Cash received from the exercise of share-based compensation awards	17,602,000
Excess tax benefit realized upon exercise of share-based compensation awards	4,502,000
Cash payment to be paid upon retirement of Executive Chairman	$ 900,000

[1] The intrinsic value for stock options is defined as the difference between the current market value and the grant price.