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Privacy policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: May 2026

OVERVIEW

This Privacy Policy explains how Our Country Cottage, Inc. ("The Cottage," "we," "us," "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you shop with us at shopthecottage.com (the "Site"), at our brick-and-mortar stores in Severna Park and Annapolis, Maryland, or through any third-party platform that surfaces our products (including AI-powered platforms).

We've tried to keep this policy clear and human. By using our Site or our services, you agree to the practices described here. If you have questions, email us at hello@shopthecottage.com.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Over the past 12 months, we have collected (and we continue to collect) information in three ways: directly from you, automatically when you use our Site, and from a few specific third parties.

Information you give us directly:

  • Basic contact details: name, email address, phone number, shipping/billing address
  • Order information: name, billing/shipping address, email, phone, payment confirmation, items purchased
  • Account information: if you create a customer account, your login credentials and any account preferences you save
  • Shopping information: items you view, add to your cart, save to a wishlist, or interact with on the Site
  • Customer support information: anything you choose to include in messages to us
  • Reviews and tagged content: reviews, photos, comments, or social tags you submit or send us
  • In-store information: name and email if you sign up for our marketing list at the register

We do not store full payment card numbers. Payment details are processed by our payment processors.

Information we collect automatically:

  • Browsing and shopping activity on our Site (pages viewed, products clicked, items added to cart, time on site)
  • Device and connection info (IP address, browser type, operating system, general location)
  • Information collected through cookies, pixels, and similar tools (see the Cookies & Tracking section below)

Information we receive from third parties:

  • Customer and order data that flows between Shopify, our in-store point-of-sale system, and our marketing platform (see "Tools and Vendors" below)
  • Aggregated analytics from Meta, Google, and other ad platforms about how our ads perform
  • Reviews submitted through Judge.me
  • Loyalty activity through Peak Rewards

We do not buy customer lists or receive data from list rentals. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use your information to:

  • Process and fulfill your orders, including shipping, returns, and customer service
  • Send order confirmations, shipping updates, and other transactional messages
  • Send marketing emails and text messages if you've opted in
  • Personalize your experience, including product recommendations and segmenting our marketing
  • Run our loyalty program (Peak Rewards) and process rewards
  • Run, measure, and optimize our advertising on Meta, Google, and other platforms
  • Display and respond to product reviews
  • Detect fraud, prevent abuse, and protect our business and customers
  • Comply with our legal obligations (tax, accounting, etc.)

TOOLS AND VENDORS WE USE

We share data with trusted service providers who help us run our business. The main ones:

  • Shopify — ecommerce platform that powers our online store and processes online orders.
  • Heartland / Global Payments — our in-store point-of-sale system. This is where the bulk of our customer, order, and inventory data is stored. Customers who buy on Shopify sync into Heartland. Customers who sign up for marketing in store flow from Heartland into Klaviyo.
  • Klaviyo — our email and SMS marketing platform. Powers our newsletter, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, and SMS marketing.
  • Judge.me — collects and displays product reviews.
  • Peak Rewards — runs our loyalty and rewards program.
  • Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — advertising and pixel-based measurement.
  • Google (Ads and Analytics 4) — advertising and Site analytics.
  • TikTok and Pinterest — we run ads and may use their tracking pixels for measurement and retargeting.
  • Payment processors (such as Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal as applicable) — process payments securely.
  • Shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.) — deliver your orders.

These vendors receive only the information they need to perform their service for us, and they are contractually required to protect it. Each vendor's own privacy practices apply to the data they handle.

We may also disclose your information:

  • In connection with a business transaction such as a sale, merger, or restructuring
  • To comply with legal obligations, court orders, subpoenas, or government requests
  • To enforce our Terms of Service or protect our rights, our customers, or others

COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

Our Site uses cookies, pixels, and similar tracking tools to make the Site work, remember your preferences, measure performance, and show you relevant ads. This includes:

  • Shopify cookies for cart, checkout, and login (more info: https://www.shopify.com/legal/cookies)
  • Klaviyo onsite tracking to personalize email and SMS
  • Meta pixel for ad measurement and retargeting
  • Google Analytics 4 for Site analytics
  • Google Ads conversion tag for ad measurement
  • TikTok and Pinterest pixels for advertising (if active)

Some of this tracking may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information under California and similar state privacy laws. You can opt out using the methods in the "Your Privacy Rights" section below, or by enabling Global Privacy Control (GPC) in your browser. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that some features of our Site may not work properly if you do.

MARKETING EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES

If you opt in, we'll send you marketing emails and/or texts with new arrivals, promotions, and store news.

  • Email: Unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any marketing email.
  • SMS: By providing your mobile number and opting in, you consent to receive recurring marketing texts from The Cottage at that number, including messages sent using automated technology. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

If you opt out of marketing, we may still send you non-promotional messages about your account or orders.

PRODUCTS DISCOVERED THROUGH AI PLATFORMS AND THIRD-PARTY CHANNELS

Our products may appear on platforms we don't operate or control, including:

  • AI-powered assistants and chatbots (such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, Claude, and similar tools)
  • Search engines and shopping comparison sites
  • Social media platforms
  • Shopping apps and integrations (Shop app, Google Shopping, etc.)

When you interact with one of those platforms, that platform's privacy practices apply to your activity there, not ours. Once you place an order with us through any channel, our Privacy Policy applies to the order data we receive.

We do not sell your personal information to AI companies for model training, and we do not permit our content, images, or product data to be used to train AI or machine learning models without our written consent.

YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of these rights:

  • Know / Access — request what personal information we have about you and how we use it
  • Correct — request that we fix inaccurate information
  • Delete — request that we delete your information (subject to legal exceptions, like records we have to keep for tax purposes)
  • Portability — request a copy of your information in a portable format
  • Opt out of marketing — emails and texts at any time
  • Opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
  • Limit use of sensitive personal information
  • Withdraw consent for processing where we rely on your consent
  • Appeal if we deny a request

We honor verified requests as required by law. We will not charge a fee, deny you service, or retaliate for exercising your rights.

To make a privacy request: email us at hello@shopthecottage.com with the subject line "Privacy Request." We may need to verify your identity (typically by confirming your email and recent order info) before responding.

Authorized agents: You may designate someone to make a request on your behalf. We will require proof of authorization, and we may verify your identity directly.

Appeals: If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying directly to our denial email. We'll review and respond.

If you're a California resident, you have specific rights under the CCPA/CPRA. If you live in another state with a privacy law (Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, Oregon, and others), you have similar rights.

CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

Our Site and products are intended for adults. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. As of the date of this policy, we do not have actual knowledge that we sell or share personal information of individuals under 16 years of age. If you believe a child has given us their information, please contact us and we'll delete it.

DATA RETENTION

We keep your information for as long as we need it to provide our products and services, comply with legal obligations (such as tax records), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When we no longer need it, we delete or anonymize it.

DATA SECURITY

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information. No system is 100% secure, but we work to keep your data safe. Payment information is encrypted in transit and processed by PCI-compliant payment processors. We recommend that you do not use unsecure channels to send us sensitive information.

INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

We're based in Maryland and we ship within the United States only. Some of our service providers (such as Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta, and Google) may process or store data outside the U.S. By using our Site, you consent to that processing.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, including to reflect changes to our practices or for operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. The current version is always posted on this page with the "Last updated" date. If we make material changes, we'll notify you by email or through a notice on the Site. Continued use of the Site after updates are posted means you accept the changes.

CONTACT

Questions, requests, or complaints?

The Cottage (Our Country Cottage, Inc.) 562B Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD 21146 hello@shopthecottage.com 410-647-6742