Names other than the actual one for a business you have worked for or patronize

[kphoger]

My wife and I call McDonald's "Big Donald's" because that's how my daughter used to say it when she was little.  Similarly, Papa Murphy's is "Puffin Murphy's" because that's how one of our sons used to say it.

I call Wal-Mart "Mall-Wart" as a simple spoonerism.  Occasionally, I'll hark back to my college days and pronounce Target as if it were French.

I once had a co-worker whose grandmother erroneously called Dollar General "General Dollar" every single time, as if it were someone's name.

There are myriad instances of people adding 's to the end of business names in error.  I hear "Aldi's" a lot and, back in Chicago, I used to hear "Jewel's" as well.

[Big John]

I heard McDonald's being called Mac and Dons.

[hbelkins]

I once had a co-worker whose grandmother erroneously called Dollar General "General Dollar" every single time, as if it were someone's name.

Lots of old-timers around here call it that as well.

[catch22]

When Pizza Hut updated their logo a few years ago, my wife commented that it looked just like a fedora.

So now we refer to it as "Pizza Hat."

[paulthemapguy]

I call McDonald's "Mac Daddy's."

[ozarkman417]

Silver Dollar City (a theme park in Branson) is known in my family as "Steal your Dollar City". Dollar General is known as "civilization" as every small town around here seems to be getting one.

[Scott5114]

Silver Dollar City (a theme park in Branson) is known in my family as "Steal your Dollar City".

Heard that one a lot when I lived in Springfield. I thought it was hilarious at the time, having moved there from Oklahoma.

It was pretty amusing as an outsider how many people in Springfield would jump at the chance to make fun of Branson if given the slightest opportunity.

[A.J. Bertin]

I sometimes refer to McDonald's as "McPennywise's"... taking two creepy clowns (Pennywise from Stephen King's "It" and, of course, Ronald McDonald) and lumping them together into one freaky combination. LOL

[GenExpwy]

My brother, for a while, would get the vegetable cream cheese from Bruegger's Bagels. One day when we were out shopping, I said, "Booger's? Oh yeah, that's right, cream cheese."

[kphoger]

Silver Dollar City (a theme park in Branson) is known in my family as "Steal your Dollar City".

I've never paid full price to get in.

My wife grew up in Branson, and the Herschends are/were family friends of hers.  Their daughter was the flower girl at our wedding, for example.  So, several times, my wife and I have simply been given free tickets to Silver Dollar City directly from the owners.

Failing that, however, we've always been able to piggyback on someone in town.  Locals have long had access to discounted admission at Silver Dollar City, with a local paycheck stub functioning as proof of residency.  Over the last couple of decades, they've tightened the screws on how loosey-goosey that system is, but my wife and I have always managed to find a way.  Sometimes, it means getting tickets from the friend of a co-worker of a relative–but, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[lepidopteran]

What are some common nicknames for retail businesses?

Some of the more popular ones are...

• McDonald's -> Mickey D's
• Wal-Mart -> Wally World
• Target -> Tar-Zhay (think of Target with a French accent)
• Kroger (grocery) -> Kay-Roger's

I often refer to Baskin-Robbins as "Batman and Robin's", though few others seem to do so.

Of those businesses no longer around, in brick-and-mortar form anyway...

• Howard Johnson's -> HoJo's (still exists as a hotel chain)
• Montgomery Ward -> Monkey Ward's (is a retail website)

[jp the roadgeek]

Burger King: Burger Doodle
Dunkin (Donuts): D & D's, Dunk's
Taco Bell: Toxic Smell
Cumberland Farms: Cumby's
Whole Foods: Unholy Foods
Marshall's: marSHAL's

[Bruce]

Grocery Outlet, a discount grocer out on the West Coast and for some reason Pennsylvania, is commonly known as "Gross Out". Admittedly some of its produce is pretty gross, but the normal goods are good enough but usually near their printed expiration date.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Taco Bell: Toxic Smell

Taco Hell is also fairly common.

Erbert & Gerbert's - Erbs & Gerbs
Noodles & Company - just Noodles

[hotdogPi]

Existing thread

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I already mentioned back in the day I know Facebook as "Fakebook".

Then there are the former names of businesses still widely used. There's a grocery chain local to me that is still widely known as "Aldi" despite not having had that name for 20 years now and not having relation with the German chain either.

[NWI_Irish96]

What are some common nicknames for retail businesses?

• Kroger (grocery) -> Kay-Roger's

When I was in grad school, I had an Asian friend who had recently learned English, and he pronounced Kroger with a soft 'g' instead of a hard 'g' [because when you learn English as a second language you learn that a 'g' before an 'e' is a soft 'g'] and I've pronounced it the same way ever since.

[LM117]

• Target -> Tar-Zhay (think of Target with a French accent)

Tarzan?

[7/8]

Tim Horton's => Timmies

I remember on my Grade 8 field trip to Quebec City, the tour guide called McDonald's "The American Embassy" and tried to discourage us from eating there (in favour of local options), but I remember going there at least once on the trip.

[hbelkins]

J.C. Pennay

[MATraveler128]

Legal Sea Foods is often called just Legal.

[JoePCool14]

Where I go to university in Wisconsin, people refer to grocery chain Piggly-Wiggly as "The Pig".

[roadman65]

Mick Mack for McDonalds.
White Rats for White Castle.
Olden Corral for Golden Corral

Steak and Wait for Steak and Shake (as I often have to wait long for food there)
Ache and Stale for defunct Steak & Ale
Dismal World for Disney World
Tragic Kingdom is the name the Disney Employees call the famed theme park Magic Kingdom
XL  One oh Shit  point 7 the Orlando Radio Station Called XL 106.7.  Redundant songs from a short playlist.

[Molandfreak]

Crapplebee's

[bandit957]

Some kid in grade school used to say McDoodle's.

I remember when people used to say Stinko's for Kinko's. People also used to say Flubway for Subway.