My mom always calls JCPenney "Penneys". Or maybe "Penney's"? Not sure, but she always adds that "s" at the end. I used to think Penney's was really the name of the store, now I know it's a cute little nickname.

I've noticed that a LOT of people do this with Nordstrom, too. I'm guessing I hear "Nordstrom's" 75% of the time when the name is mentioned. I'm not sure why, though. Nordstrom's isn't a cute nickname--it's harder to say than just saying "Nordstrom." Maybe it's because so many other department stores have the "s", like "Macy's" "Kohl's"... actually that's all I can think of, except of course "Penney's".

Checking it out on Google I find that there is a Nordstrom's Automotive that seems to have no link to Nordstrom the departmernt store.

If I were starting a business unrelated to what Nordstrom does, I would call it Nordstrom's just to grab all the search engine magic from people who do searches for "Nordstrom's". If I were an attorney, for example, I'd change my last name to Nordstrom so that I could call the firm "Nordstrom's Law Offices." Well, maybe I wouldn't change my name, but I might create a fictitious partner named Nordstrom (and maybe some other fictitious partners, too), so I could name my firm "McHenry, Penney, Kohl, Macy and Nordstrom".

If there were ever a class action lawsuit against one of those companies, I'd totally rake it in, man. I'd come up in every search.

My mind's like a steel trap.