Introduction

Welcome to My Local Thrift Store ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website mylocalthriftstore.com and use our services.

By using our website and services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Register for an account
• Subscribe to our newsletter or text message alerts
• Submit a thrift store listing
• Claim or manage a store profile
• Purchase a subscription plan
• Contact us for customer support
• Participate in surveys or promotions

This information may include:

• Name and email address
• Phone number (if you opt-in to SMS notifications)
• Business information (for store owners)
• Payment information (processed securely through Stripe)
• Location data (to find nearby thrift stores)
• Profile preferences and favorites

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• IP address and browser type
• Device information and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referring website addresses
• Search queries and interactions with our website
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide Services: To operate and maintain our website, create and manage your account, and deliver the services you request
• Personalization: To personalize your experience, show you relevant thrift stores based on your location, and remember your preferences
• Communication: To send you updates, newsletters, promotional materials, and important service announcements (with your consent)
• SMS Notifications: To send text message alerts about new stores, sales, and events (only if you opt-in)
• Payment Processing: To process subscription payments and prevent fraud
• Customer Support: To respond to your inquiries and provide customer assistance
• Analytics: To analyze usage patterns, improve our services, and develop new features
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
• Security: To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, and unauthorized access

Data Privacy & Anonymization

We take your privacy seriously and implement k-anonymity principles to protect your personal information:

• Store owner analytics receive anonymized and aggregated user data only
• Individual user identities are never shared with store owners
• Location data is generalized to protect user privacy (minimum 3 users per location)
• Behavioral data is aggregated and anonymized before being shared

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our business:

• Stripe: Payment processing for subscription plans (they never share your full payment details with us)
• SendGrid: Email delivery services for transactional and marketing emails
• Twilio: SMS messaging services (only if you opt-in)
• Google Maps: Location services and mapping functionality
• Anthropic: AI-powered features and customer support
• Neon: Database hosting and management

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to:

• Legal processes (subpoenas, court orders)
• Government requests
• Enforcement of our terms of service
• Protection of our rights, safety, or property

Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our website and store certain information. Cookies are small data files that are placed on your device.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly (authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of our website.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS
• Secure password hashing and authentication
• Regular security audits and updates
• Access controls and monitoring
• CSRF protection to prevent cross-site request forgery
• Input validation and XSS prevention

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

Your Privacy Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails and SMS messages at any time
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Object: Object to certain processing of your personal information

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@mylocalthriftstore.com or call (844) 332-2115.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. When we no longer need your information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information about a child, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, and shared
• Right to delete personal information held by businesses
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

International Users

Our services are operated from the United States. If you are accessing our website from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending an email notification to registered users
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.