In the US, we have Barnes & Noble, the nationwide bookstore chain also known as "Barnes & Nobel" and in Baltimore, as "Barnes & Noble's."
We personalize our stores here by making their name possessive, like "Home Depot's" and "Rite Aid's." It's been going on forever here, and there seems to be nothing anyone can do about it.
Meanwhile. back home in England, there is a chain of bookstores that used to be known as "Waterstone's," but officially changed that to "Waterstones" in 2012, saying that they wanted to make their name simpler to spell "in the digital age."
The TIMES of London newspaper reports there was criticism of this change over the years, even going so far as to say some Britons became "terribly cross" about it. I will have to check with a real English person as to whether being "terribly cross" is worse than "getting one's knickers in a twist."
The ultimate referee in these matters would be the Apostrophe Protection Society, and they have signalled their approval of the change from Waterstone's to Waterstones. I suppose this decision came after a fun-filled weekend at Caesars Palace.
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