Debt And Credit Facilities (Narrative) (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Jan. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Book value of office building used to secure mortgage payable	$ 62
Basis spread on variable rate	1.275%
Short-Term Borrowings [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total short-term borrowing capacity	$ 800
Series 2011-1 Class A Notes, 2.28%, due October 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amount of proceeds and senior unsecured notes retired	$ 325
Maturity date	October 2016	October 2016
Series 2011-1 Class A Notes, 2.28%, due October 2016 [Member] \| Nordstrom Visa credit card receivables [Member] \| Restricted [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of company interest in credit card receivables used as collateral to secure debt		90.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity of current facility	$ 800
Maturity date	April 2020
Option to increase the maximum capacity of revolving credit facility	$ 200
Maximum borrowing capacity with option	$ 1,000
Debt covenant leverage ratio	4
Outstanding borrowings or issuances	$ 0	$ 0
Terminated Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date	March 2018
Borrowing capacity of terminated facility	$ 800
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity of current facility	800
Outstanding borrowings or issuances	$ 0	0
Puerto Rico unsecured borrowing facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date	November 2018
Maximum borrowing capacity with option	$ 52
Debt instrument interest rate	LIBOR plus 1.275%
Outstanding borrowings or issuances	$ 52	$ 37

The net book value of a building pledged as security for a mortgage.

No definition available.

Name:	jwn_BuildingsPledgedAsCollateral
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Debt Instrument, Debt Covenant Leverage Ratio

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	jwn_DebtInstrumentDebtCovenantLeverageRatio
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	xbrli:pureItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount that could have been borrowed under the terminated credit facility.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	jwn_LineOfCreditFacilityTerminatedBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The percentage of credit card receivables used as collateral to secure long-term debt instruments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	jwn_PercentageOfCompanyInterestInCreditCardReceivablesUsedAsCollateralToSecureDebtInstrument
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The maximum amount by which the entity may choose to increase the maximum capacity of a credit facility.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	jwn_RevolvingCreditFacilityOptionToIncreaseMaximumAmount
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of borrowing capacity under short-term financing arrangements that is available to the entity as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	jwn_TotalShortTermBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	jwn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Percentage points added to the reference rate to compute the variable rate on the debt instrument.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Description of the interest rate as being fixed or variable, and, if variable, identification of the index or rate on which the interest rate is based and the number of points or percentage added to that index or rate to set the rate, and other pertinent information, such as frequency of rate resets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(1))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateTerms
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Description of the maturity date of the debt instrument including whether the debt matures serially and, if so, a brief description of the serial maturities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentMaturityDateDescription
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Gross amount of debt extinguished.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ExtinguishmentOfDebtAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The carrying value as of the balance sheet date of the current and noncurrent portions of long-term obligations drawn from a line of credit, which is a bank's commitment to make loans up to a specific amount. Examples of items that might be included in the application of this element may consist of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, and revolving credit arrangements, under which borrowings can be made up to a maximum amount as of any point in time conditional on satisfaction of specified terms before, as of and after the date of drawdowns on the line. Includes short-term obligations that would normally be classified as current liabilities but for which (a) postbalance sheet date issuance of a long term obligation to refinance the short term obligation on a long term basis, or (b) the enterprise has entered into a financing agreement that clearly permits the enterprise to refinance the short-term obligation on a long term basis and the following conditions are met (1) the agreement does not expire within 1 year and is not cancelable by the lender except for violation of an objectively determinable provision, (2) no violation exists at the BS date, and (3) the lender has entered into the financing agreement is expected to be financially capable of honoring the agreement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.16)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.16)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 19, 20, 22
-Article 5

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCredit
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of current borrowing capacity under the credit facility considering any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed (for example, borrowings may be limited by the amount of current assets), but without considering any amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19(b),22(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityCurrentBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19(b),22(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_ShortTermDebtMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=jwn_Series20111ClassNotes228DueOctober2016Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=jwn_NordstromVisaCardReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis=jwn_RestrictedMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=jwn_TerminatedCreditFacilityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_CommercialPaperMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_LineOfCreditMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: