Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2015	Aug. 21, 2015
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	DOLLAR GENERAL CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000029534
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jul. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-29
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		294,659,578
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2