Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Feb. 02, 2013	Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 29, 2011
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current [Abstract]
Adjustments to reserve for sales returns	$ 5	$ 9	$ 2
Workers compensation and general liability reserves covered by deposits and receivables	$ 103	$ 98

Workers compensation and general liability reserves covered by deposits and receivables

No definition available.

Name:	m_WorkersCompensationAndGeneralLiabilityReservesCoveredByDepositsAndReceivables
Namespace Prefix:	m_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant