Document and Entity Information - shares	8 Months Ended
	May. 08, 2016	May. 25, 2016
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	May 08, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	COST
Entity Registrant Name	COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW
Entity Central Index Key	0000909832
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-28
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		438,065,563