Why We Say Walmarks, Krogers, and Piggly Wigglys

By The Hillbilly Dude | Published

If you’ve ever heard somebody say they’re headed down to "the Walmarks" or "the Krogers," you’ve brushed up against a classic Appalachian and Southern speech habit: adding an "s" (or twisting a sound) onto store names. It’s not a mistake - it’s part of how mountain talk reshapes words to fit its own rhythm.

What Folks Say

Appalachians are famous for putting their own stamp on brand names. Walmart becomes Walmarks, Kroger becomes Krogers, and Kmart becomes Kmarts. Even restaurants aren’t safe - Sonic turns into "the Sonics," and Piggly Wiggly shows up as "the Piggly Wigglys."

Mae: "I’m runnin’ over to the Walmarks after supper."
Earl: "Good - stop by the Krogers too, we’re outta bread."

Why the Extra 'S'?

Linguists say it’s part habit, part pattern. English once had stronger plural and possessive endings. Over time, many Southern and Appalachian speakers kept that flavor, even attaching it where the original name didn’t call for it.

Some folks add "the" too - the Krogers, the Walmarks - making it sound more like a landmark than a brand. In small towns, that’s exactly what these stores became: gathering places everybody knew by name.

Not Just Walmart

The habit isn’t limited to one chain. You’ll hear it across the South and Appalachia:

  • Kroger → Krogers
  • Walmart → Walmarks or Walmarts
  • Kmart → Kmarts
  • Sonic → the Sonics
  • Piggly Wiggly → the Piggly Wigglys

It’s a way of pulling national brands into the local soundscape, making them feel more like "ours."

A Folksy Twist

Nobody sat down and decided to add an "s." It’s just how speech bends and stretches in the mountains. The same instinct that turns "fellow" into feller, or "string" into strang, reshapes brand names until they feel homegrown.

Ruby: "City people laugh at us for sayin’ Walmarks."
Estel: "Reckon we been sayin’ it that way since the store opened."

Why It Stuck

Three reasons keep "Walmarks" and "Krogers" alive:

  1. Community habit. Once everybody in town said it, that was the name.
  2. Oral tradition. Spoken more than written, the form passed easy from generation to generation.
  3. Down-home identity. Folks weren’t trying to match a corporate brand guide - they were making the name their own.

So the next time you hear someone talk about running down to the Walmarks, don’t correct them. Smile instead. You’re hearing a little piece of how Appalachians shape language to fit their world - making even the biggest chain store sound like it belongs right at home.

★ Think of "Walmarks" not as wrong but as local branding. It turned a national store into part of the Appalachian landscape. ★

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Common Questions

Why do people add an "s" to store names?
It’s a regional habit in Appalachian and Southern speech, reflecting older English patterns and local ways of naming things.
Is "Walmarks" the same as Walmart?
Yes - it’s just the folksy way of saying it.
Do younger people still say it?
Less often, but it’s still common among older speakers and remembered fondly.
Is this habit unique to Appalachia?
It’s strongest in the South and Appalachia, but you’ll hear it in pockets of the Midwest too.
Does it mean people don’t know the "real" name?
Not at all. It’s just a natural, local way of speaking.
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