Why is it that people turn store names into possessives?
Here in southeast Michigan, it happens with a lot of grocery stores names. Meijer becomes “Meijer’s.” Kroger becomes “Kroger’s.” Farmer Jack becomes “Farmer Jack’s.” Even Kerrytown’s little Sparrow becomes “Sparrow’s,” (after owner Bob Sparrow). And it’s common to hear people say that they or someone they know works at “Ford’s.” It makes sense when a store’s name derives from a person’s name.
But it happens also with national chains like Blockbuster’s, Barnes and Noble’s, JCPenny’s, and even Wal Mart’s. Is it just easier for our little language-wired minds to talk/think about such huge, nebulous entities as if they had straightforward ownership and eponymic signifiers? Or are we masking something by making them sound more local, more mom-and-pop, more ours? (And is this why it always bothers me when I hear people call Buffalo Wild Wings “B-Dubs”?)
Sometimes a company will officially change its name to reflect the fact that so many people already make it possessive, as was the case with Friendly’s.
Others have noticed this phenomenon, but its history and regionality haven’t been pinned down to my satisfaction. Is it really only a Midwestern thing? Or was it once a Southern thing? Which other stores do you know that get turned into possessives? And which don’t? And where? And why?
3 responses so far ↓
1 Scott T. // Jan 13, 2008 at 4:22 pm
New Yorkers seem to think it’s a midwestern thing. Also note in Ann Arbor E. William St. becomes “Williams.”
2 Vinh // Jan 15, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Oddly enough, out here in the NorthWest is a chain of stores similar to Meijer that goes by the name, Fred Meyer. Though it started in Portland a small, Thrifty Acres-ish type of store, it is now owned by Kroger. (good play Kroger)
Anyhow, I can’t say I’ve heard anyone other than ex-midwesterners refer to it as Freddy’s. So maybe it is a mid-western anomaly.
3 Kurt A // Feb 7, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I think it is a Southern thing (Kentucky Specifically) and it did start with companies that were owned by single families. I think it wasn’t until the mid-80s that Mejer changed from Mejer’s Savings Place (or something like that). People who work for Ford have generally come from a family of Ford workers and I’m sure a 2 generations back it was known as Ford’s (I doubt Henry would have it any other way). I know my Mother’s family in Detroit refer to JCPenny as Penny’s. I guess the true corporate stores are just keeping with the others that they learned.
I don’t think it’s B-dub’s (possessive) It is B-dubs plural. It started as Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck (or something like that) then it became BW3 then Buffalo Wild Wings. So Dubs standing for the Ws in the name it becomes B-with some Ws. I hope that puts your mind at ease.
Kurt
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