Why do people say "Tesco's"?

[mrsnorrismeow]

Just that really. People seem to do it all the time. But it's not "Lidl's" or "Aldi's" or "Waitrose's", is it?!?!

My gran always used o say the corp for co-op. (Yorkshire)

A friend of mine says waitroses and Peter joneses.
It’s unpleasant. What’s definitely worse is sainsbobs etc. Although- a child I know called waitrose waities and it’s stuck with us because I love him. So for our family I do - and I’m deeply ashamed to admit- sometimes say waities. I’m sorry.

The local convenience shop by my folks house is a Co op and I have just realised that we all do indeed call it 'THE Co op'.
The shop has changed its name over the years. When I was little it was Spar. I don't remember ever it being 'THE Spar' it was just 'Spar'. When I was older it was a Circle K. They were quite rare in the UK I believe. It's the shop in the film 'Bill and Ted' where there is a line that if I remember correctly is "something is afoot at THE Circle K". So if me and my sister are having a memory lane moment we would refer to it as 'The' Circle K but that's kind of an in joke between us. As kids we just called it Circle K.
Although to be honest whether it was Spar, Circle K or (The😁) Co op 9 times out of 10 it was known as "I am just going round the shop". Whichever leads to the next question of why we were going 'round' the shop not 'to' the shop....

Ok so having sat and though about this I think I say both Tesco and Tesco's interchangeably.

I'd say "I'm going to Tesco" but I feel like I might day "I got it from Tesco's"

I'm going to need to pay more attention.

I think it's because we get used to saying things like "Tesco's beans aren't as good as Heinz" so the word said like that doesn't sound strange.

It honestly never occurred to me that Tesco was harder to say than Tesco's.

Saino's
Morro's
Asda
Tesco
Lidl
Aldi
Marks's

Surely it's like when people informally say "I'm going to Jayne's" or "I'm just popping over to Mom's".
It might not be right but it's just an informal use of language

Probably the same people who call Dunelm DunHelm. Where does the H come from?

I've heard people say dunelm's

God YES! I had this conversation with my son only a few days ago as it INFURIATES me too for some reason. Also when people shorten like Marksies and Sainsbos. Shudder.

A colleague of mine used to say that she was off to 'Boots's' at lunchtime 😖

@Tootletum

I view it as a possessive genitive. The shop that belongs to Tesco.

Exactly this

Of course it's not easier to say Tesco's than Tesco! The reason people do it is because lots of shops, services, companies and products do have a possessive on the end, (the doctor's, the dentist's, the butcher's, Sainsbury's, Cadbury's, so people are used to it. Also, if their family call it Tesco's, then they will too.

Lots of shops which are named after owners used to have a possessive apostrophe S, but dropped the apostrophe - Harrods, Selfridges, Waterstones, Hamleys, Debenhams etc etc etc.

But no one would actually say I'm going to tesco's shop. They are just saying tesco's because they are copying others and haven't thought about it. I doubt they say homebase's but they say B&Q's.

I just call shops what the sign says.

Some people round here (Yorkshire) say they're of to 'the asda' or 'th'asda'

I also used to work with someone who not only always went to 'Tescos' but used to have to tell you that she always bought 'Tescos finest' with a smug smile

I say Tescos or sometimes Shitsco's if they've annoyed me I say Sainsbury's. I say Markses sometimes. I say John Lewis's.

It's a harking back to an era when a shop was "someone's shop" not a unit of a corporate blob.

Ive never heard anyone say B&qs!!! Defin8tely just B and Q , and homebase just homebase.

I thought everyone called it Tesco's?? But then I also say "the Asda's" 🙈

We get "the asda" round here which drives me mad

And one I'm guilty of.... home and bargain.... it's home bargains but I've always known it as home and bargain, dunno why!!

It's "The Asda" around here.

I grew up calling it Tesco's so to me that was its name before I ever saw it written down as Tesco.

I used to work with a woman who said 'sainsbug'

YouLando I came on to post the exact same thing

You didn't work in the Manchester area did you?

@SallySeven

It's a harking back to an era when a shop was "someone's shop" not a unit of a corporate blob.

Definitely this, we had Trewins or Clements in Watford or Lyttons in the area.