Shoppers have been left confused by an apparent inconsistency in the spelling of Waterstones signs. Some stores display the name as 'Waterstones', while others feature an apostrophe, reading 'Waterstone's'. The discrepancy has sparked debate on social media, with many questioning why the difference exists.
Book lover Emma, who posts on TikTok as @emmaslibraryx, highlighted the issue in a video. She noted that her local store uses 'Waterstones' without the apostrophe, but she had seen others using 'Waterstone's'. Commenters on her video explained that the apostrophe was removed from the branding in 2012 to make the name more versatile for online use.
One commenter said: 'It used to, but they removed it, so the older signs still have it, but newer ones don’t.' Another added: 'The app doesn’t have it just checked,' indicating that any signs with apostrophes are from the old branding.
Waterstones confirmed the change in a response to a customer on X, stating: 'We’re definitely Waterstones without the apostrophe but some shops still have their old punctuation.' The decision to drop the apostrophe was criticised at the time, with one person fuming: 'Waterstone's, don't drop the apostrophe. McDonald's & Sainsbury's manage! You claim to play an educational role, not lead in dumbing down!'
Despite the change, some shoppers remain unsettled. One person wrote on X: 'I’ve become viscerally and uncomfortably aware that there’s seemingly no cohesiveness on whether Waterstones go by Waterstones or Waterstone’s.' However, the company insists that the apostrophe-free version is the correct modern branding.
