The Container Store Privacy Policy

UPDATED ON 11/16/2009.  BY ACCESSING OR USING THE CONTAINER STORE WEB SITE (THE "SITE"), YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THE MOST RECENT VERSION OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY.

The Container Store prides itself on providing exceptional customer service. Not only are we committed to helping you organize your life, we also want to make sure you clearly understand how we use information about you to provide you with the best possible shopping experience. We value the trust you place in The Container Store and we want to ensure that you understand what information we gather about you, how we use it, and the safeguards we have in place to protect it. Therefore, we are happy to share the details regarding our Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected by The Container Store on www.containerstore.com and in our brick and mortar stores. It is designed to ensure that customers to our website and our stores understand how and why The Container Store collects and uses the information provided to us.

This Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time.

The following topics are addressed in this Privacy Policy:

Collecting Personal Information

We collect information about you when you make a purchase in one of our stores or online. This information may include your name, mailing and billing address, zip code, phone number, and/or email address. We may also ask for this information if you choose to participate in a survey, sweepstakes, contest, promotion or giveaway. We consider information that personally identifies you, such as your name, email address or billing information, and other data that is linked to such information, to be personal information.

With sales transactions, we may collect payment information including credit/debit card information, gift card and merchandise credit numbers, and/or checking account information. When you make a purchase online or in-store, we collect transactional information related to your purchase (i.e., what you bought, the price you paid, the payment method you used, and if the product was on sale).

We use a third-party partner, MyBuys, to collect information about your use of our website and your product preferences. If you have provided us with your personal information, information about your use of the website and your preferences may be linked to your personal information. If you have chosen to receive e-mails from us, you may receive product recommendations based on your preferences. For more information, please see the MyBuys Privacy Policy.

We have software that allows us to re-create your sessions on our website. We use this information to make our website easier and more enjoyable to use. If you have provided us with your personal information, information about your use of the website may be linked to your personal information, and we may use this information to contact you in order to address problems you may have experienced in using our website.

We also collect some personal information when you use other features of the Site. We collect your email address if you sign up for our email list. In order to establish an online account, you will be asked to provide your name, email address, and zip code, and you will also need to establish a password.

You may be asked to provide additional information when you use the Site to develop personal organization projects, custom space designs or wish lists. This information may be linked to personal information you have provided, such as your name.

Finally, you will be asked to provide personal information if you apply for a job with The Container Store using our online application process. We'll provide more information about this process below.

Browsing Our Website

When you are using our Site, we log your IP address (a number that identifies your computer on the Internet) for system administration, troubleshooting and to examine overall traffic trends. For example, IP addresses help us determine the percentage of people coming from various online gateways, such as Google or Yahoo!. This information is collected in aggregate. It is also linked to your personal information if you provide your personal information to The Container Store.

Another tool we use is called a cookie, which is a small data file stored on your computer that allows us to customize portions of our site to your preferences. Generally, we use cookies to remind us of who you are, tailor our product selection to you, and to ensure that only you have access to your account and any personal organization projects, wish lists or custom space designs you have created with us. The cookie, by itself, doesn't provide any personal information, such as your name or email address. You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.) However, you may not be able to use some features of the Site if you set your browser to reject cookies.

We also use cookies and other tools to collect information about how you use the Site (for example, information about what pages you look at, what terms you use in searching the site, or what products you investigate or purchase). This information may be collected directly by us, or it may be collected by a third-party service provider. However, we collect only anonymous information about this kind of usage of the Site. This information is not linked to any information that personally identifies you.

You can browse our Site and read our editorial content without providing any personal information. However, you must provide personal information in order to make a purchase.

How We May Use Your Information

In order to serve you better, we may combine the information you provide us and the information we have from your purchases online and in our stores. We may also utilize information that is publicly available. This information, in total, is used to improve your overall experience with our company. Here are the ways we may use information about you in order to enhance your shopping experience at The Container Store:

Sharing Your Information and Third-party Partnerships

On occasion, The Container Store shares information collected from our customers with selected third-party companies that assist the company in advertising and marketing efforts. For example, we may retain an outside company to help us with customer research or to manage a customer database, to send catalogs or direct mail, or to send email messages. The information we provide to third parties for such purposes may include your name, address, email address, website usage, and purchase information, which will help us target marketing communications. The third parties to which we provide such information agree to keep it confidential, and may not use it to send advertisements or other communications on behalf of anyone other than The Container Store. The Container Store also provides some anonymous information about customer purchases to third-party companies that assist us with advertising and promoting our products and services.

We participate in special partnerships with other companies that we believe offer products or services that our customers would be interested in and would benefit from. We do not share customers' personal information with these partner companies. Customers may receive information about these partnerships and related promotions directly from The Container Store or from the third-party companies that assist us with marketing.

The Container Store may also enter into a "co-branding" relationship with another company, or organization. At times, we may communicate with customers on behalf of that company and customers may be directed to a partner website to purchase a specific item or learn about their services. In these cases, both The Container Store and the partner company may receive personal information you provide.

Additionally, like many other companies, The Container Store may use outside marketing companies to place advertisements or links on other websites. The marketing company or the operator of the website where an advertisement or link appears may collect information about people who click on an advertisement or link to The Container Store. The Container Store is not responsible for the collection or use of information by such marketing companies or third-party websites.

Third parties may receive your personal information because you have visited their websites or accessed their links. Please refer to their privacy policies to learn about how they handle your personal information. Please note that The Container Store has no control over the privacy practices of other companies of websites, and we do not assume any responsibility or liability for any third-party's data collection or disclosure practices, their failure to abide by their privacy policies, or the content of their websites.

In the event that The Container Store is merged with or acquired by another company, or in the event of a transfer of our assets, we may disclose or transfer personal information and other information about usage of the Site in connection with such a transaction. In the event of such a transfer, we will notify you of the change of control of your personal information. You should also be aware that courts may have the authority under certain circumstances to permit personal information and other information about usage of the Site to be shared or transferred to third parties without your permission.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We will not use or disclose your personal information except: (1) as described in this Privacy Policy; (2) after obtaining your permission to a specific use or disclosure; (3) if it is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against persons or entities who may be causing injury to you, to The Container Store, or to others; (4) if we are required to do so in order to comply with any valid legal process or governmental request (such as a court order, search warrant, subpoena, civil discovery request, or statutory requirement); or, (5) as we otherwise believe is required by law.

Security of Our Site

The Container Store maintains security procedures designed to keep information we own, license and process from being accessed by any unauthorized person or business. We use a variety of multi-level security systems to control access to our systems and the data that we house. Our enterprise security operations center maintains real-time monitoring for information system vulnerabilities and unauthorized access attempts into our internal systems. We also maintain physical security for our facilities and limit access to certain critical areas of our business.

We take reasonable precautions to ensure our security procedures are adequate for the protection of our computer systems and data, but this does not eliminate the possibility that our security will be breached. If a security breach causes The Container Store leadership to believe individual consumers are at actual risk for identity theft or other fraudulent activities that may cause substantial harm or inconvenience to consumers or if such breach otherwise requires public notification, The Container Store will post a security alert notice on our Site that will provide relevant information for consumers to consider to protect against fraudulent and other harmful actions that may result from the unauthorized access.

Unfortunately, however, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to or from our Site, and you do so at your own risk. Accordingly, we disclaim liability for any theft, loss, or interception of, or any unauthorized access or damage to any data or communications. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to assume these risks.

Anyone with access to the email address and password you use to create an account with us can obtain access to the personal information you have provided to us. We urge you to keep your password in a safe place and not share it with anyone. Always sign out from your account and close your browser window when you have finished your visit to our Site. This ensures that others cannot access your account, which is especially important if you are sharing a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password, and you are responsible for any access to or use of the Site by any person or entity using your password, whether or not such access or use has been authorized by you.

Reviewing and Revising Your Account Information

You may review and make changes to the personal information that is stored in your user account on the Site by visiting the "My Account" area of the Site.

Opting Out

While we hope that the information included in this Privacy Policy has helped you better understand how we use and protect your information to provide you with better service, we understand that you may still choose to not receive information from The Container Store or our partners.

As a part of our commitment to your privacy, The Container Store supports and adheres to the guidelines adopted by the Direct Marketing Association's "Privacy Promise to American Consumers." We have agreed to: (1) provide customers with notice of their ability to opt out of information rental, sale or exchange with other marketers; (2) honor customers' requests not to share their information with other marketers; and, (3) honor customers' requests not to receive mail or email from The Container Store.

Acceptance of Terms

By using our Site, you agree to The Container Store's Privacy Policy. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add or remove portions of this policy at any time. If this policy changes in the future, we will let you know by posting the updated policy on our Site with the most recent modification date. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of our Site following the posting of changes to these terms means you accept those changes.

If there are material changes in the way we will use or share personal information about you, and if you have provided us with your email address, we will provide email notification to you with an opportunity to opt-out of these changes.

Children and Privacy

The Container Store's Site is not directed to children under the age of 13 years. We will never request personally identifiable information from anyone whom we know to be under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. By using the Site, you represent and warrant that you are at least 13 years old. If we become aware that a customer is under the age of 13 and has registered without prior verifiable parental consent, we will remove his or her personally identifiable registration information.

Information Provided When You Apply for a Job Online

The Site includes a feature ("Careers") that allows you to submit an online job application. When you submit an online application, you will be required to provide personal information, including but not limited to your name, contact information, job interests, educational and job history, and references. This information will be used by The Container Store to assess and process your application.

The online application process is hosted and supported by a third-party service provider, HRsmart. HRsmart receives and stores the information you provide. HRsmart does not disclose the personal information it receives and maintains for The Container Store to anyone else. (Click here to see the HRsmart Privacy Policy.)

If we decide to interview you, we may print your application and use it during the interview process. If you are hired, your application becomes part of your employee file. If you are not immediately hired, your printed application is kept for one year and then typically will be destroyed. We may ask you to provide additional information during the interview or hiring process. We may also use the information you provide to contact you about your application; for example, to ask you to agree to a background check or to send you an offer letter.

We do not share the information you provide in the online application to anyone outside of The Container Store and HRsmart, except as we believe is required by law.

Questions

If you need any other information, please submit your requests or questions to The Container Store, ATTN: Customer Solutions Department, 500 Freeport Parkway, Coppell, TX 75019 or email us at contain@containerstore.com. Please allow 30 days for a response.

 

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