Earnings per share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	May 02, 2014	May 03, 2013
Net Income
Basic earnings	$ 222,398	$ 220,083
Diluted Earnings	$ 222,398	$ 220,083
Shares
Shares outstanding, basic	309,331,000	326,975,000
Effect of dilutive share-based awards	964,000	1,157,000
Shares outstanding, diluted	310,295,000	328,132,000
Per Share Amount
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.72	$ 0.67
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.72	$ 0.67
Share-based awards outstanding excluded from computation of diluted earnings per share	1,500,000	1,200,000