Personal Information

While using our Services, you may provide us with certain information, including:

• Contact Information: We may collect your contact information, such as your first and last name, email address, phone number, address, state, province, ZIP/Postal code, and city.
• Device Information: When you visit our website, interact with our social media pages or online ads, or open our emails, we automatically learn about your browser, device type, IP address, internet service provider, and other technical information about your device.
• Online Activity: We collect information about your interactions with our website including the pages of our website that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifier, links clicked, buttons clicked, mouse movement, scroll behavior, and other diagnostic data. This information may then be used to replay your interaction, which may be used to troubleshoot website issues, either individually or in the aggregate, to improve website functionality and to analyze user interaction. This information could include personal information, depending on what information you provide.
• Purchase History: When you make a purchase in one of our stores, we collect your name, email, and details about your purchase.
• Demographic Information: We have access to demographic details about our customers such as birthdate, gender, ZIP code, and other similar details.
• Employment Information: If you apply for employment, we have access to the content you provide such as your resume, cover letter, and any information contained therein. This may include work experience, educational background, and employment opportunities sought.
• Payment Information: Your payment details can be collected and stored in connection with an order, return, promotion, contest, or fundraising event.
• Call and Email Records: If you call or email us, or if you participate in an online chat session, we may keep records of those conversations.
• Social Media Information: If you decide to register through or otherwise grant us access to your social media account, we may collect information that is already associated with your social media account, such as your name, email address, activities or contact list associated with that account.  You may also have the option of sharing additional information with us through your social media account. If you choose to provide such information, during registration or otherwise, you are giving us permission to use, share, and store it in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
• Volunteer or Donation: We may provide volunteering opportunities and may collect information about your on-site and offsite volunteer efforts and donations.
• Content you Submit: We may collect any other content you submit to our website or social media pages, or to us in person.

Collection of Your Information

We may collect the information described above directly from you, from third parties we partner with, or through cookies, pixel tags, or other automated means. These sources may include:

• You: We and our service providers collect information directly from you, including when you: make a purchase online or offline; subscribe to receive our emails, mail ads, or SMS Text marketing messages; participate in an online chat session; register an account to access the Services, create a profile, or check-out through the Services; contact our customer care team or otherwise contact us with questions or comments; post on our message boards or post a product review; apply for or begin applying for a job through the Services; participate in BIG Rewards or other rewards program or online promotion; enter our contests or sweepstakes; respond to a survey, participate in consumer feedback panels or focus groups; request a donation through the Services; track volunteer work or submit volunteer hours; or otherwise submit information to us through the Services.
• Social Media: If you connect your social media account to your Services account, you will share certain information from your social media account with us, for example, your name, email address, photo, list of social media contacts, and any other information that may be or you make accessible to us when you connect your social media account to your Services account.
• Your browser or device: Certain information is collected by most browsers or automatically through your device, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, computer type (Windows or Mac), screen resolution, operating system name and version, device manufacturer and model, language, Internet browser type and version and the name and version of the Services you are using.  We use this information to ensure that the Services function properly.  We may also link your various devices so that content you see on one device can result in a personalized and relevant advertising experience on all of your devices.  We may also collect the physical location of your device by, for example, using satellite, cell phone tower or WiFi signals.  We may use your device’s physical location to provide you with personalized location-based services and content.  We may also share your device’s physical location, combined with information about what advertisements you viewed and other information we collect, with our marketing partners to enable them to provide you with more personalized content and to study the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.  In some instances, you may be permitted to allow or deny such uses and/or sharing of your device’s location, but if you do, we and/or our marketing partners may not be able to provide you with the applicable personalized services and content.
• Cookies: Cookies are pieces of information stored directly on the computer that you are using.  Cookies allow us to collect information such as browser type, time spent on the Services, pages visited, cart details, mouse clicks, keystrokes, purchases, and other traffic data.  We and our service providers use the information for security purposes, to facilitate navigation, to display information more effectively, and to personalize your experience.  We also gather statistical information about use of the Services in order to continually improve their design and functionality, understand how they are used, and assist us with resolving questions regarding them.  Cookies further allow us to select which of our advertisements or offers are most likely to appeal to you and display them while you are on the Services.  We may also use cookies or other technologies in online advertising to track responses to our ads.    We do not currently respond to browser do-not-track signals.  If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, you can click on the “Cookie Preferences” link in our website footer and set your cookie choices.  In addition, most browsers allow you to automatically decline cookies or be given the choice of declining or accepting a particular cookie (or cookies) from a particular website.  You may also wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html. If you do not accept cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of the Services.  You also may not receive advertising or other offers from us that are relevant to your interests and needs.
• Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence. You may choose to use our chatbot which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate communications with you and address your inquiries. When you interact with our chatbot, we may collect data such as your name, email address, and phone number.  We use this data to answer your questions, facilitate returns, provide services to you, and improve our products.  These conversations may be recorded and shared with our service providers to ensure we are best serving our customers. The suppliers of our chatbot also collect data from your communications and process such data about you on our behalf.
• Pixel tags and other similar technologies. 
  • Pixel tags. Pixel tags (also known as web beacons and clear GIFs) may be used to, among other things, track the actions of users of the Services (including email recipients), measure the success of our marketing campaigns, and compile statistics about usage of the Services and response rates. We use these and similar technologies to recognize you across your different devices for ad measurement purposes.
  • Analytics. We use third party analytics service providers, including Google Analytics, which uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyze information about use of the Services and report on activities and trends.  These analytics services may also collect information regarding the use of other websites, apps and online resources.  You can learn about Google’s practices by going to www.google.com/policies/privacy/‌partners/, and exercise the opt-out provided by Google by downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
  • IP Address. Your IP address is automatically assigned to your computer by your Internet Service Provider.  Your IP address may be identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever you access the Services, along with the time/date of your visit.  We use IP addresses for purposes such as calculating usage levels, diagnosing server problems, and providing the Services.  We may also derive your approximate location from your IP address.

We need to collect your information in order to provide the requested Services to you.  If you do not provide the information requested, we may not be able to provide the Services. If you disclose any information relating to other people to us or to our service providers in connection with the Services, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Information

We and our service providers use your information for the following purposes:

Providing the functionality of the Services and fulfilling your requests.

• To provide the Services’ functionality to you, such as arranging access to your registered account, processing returns, exchanges and price hold requests, and providing you with related customer service.
• To respond to your inquiries and fulfill your requests, such as tracking and confirming online orders.
• To complete your transactions, verify your information, and provide you with related customer service.
• To send administrative information to you, such as changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.
• To allow you to send messages to another person through the Services if you choose to do so.

Providing you with our newsletter and/or other marketing materials and facilitating social sharing.

• To send you marketing related emails, with information about our services, new products, BIG Rewards offers, and other news about our company.
• To send you marketing related SMS text messages to your mobile device about products, BIG Rewards offers, and news about our company that you have agreed to receive.
• To facilitate social sharing functionality that you choose to use.
• To administer and communicate with you about our BIG Rewards program.

Analyzing Personal Information for business reporting and providing personalized services.

• To analyze or predict our users’ preferences in order to prepare aggregated trend reports on how our digital content is used, so we can improve our Services.
• To better understand your interests and preferences so that we can personalize our interactions with you and provide you with information and/or offers tailored to your interests.
• To better understand your preferences so that we can deliver content via our Services that we believe will be relevant and interesting to you.

Allowing you to participate in sweepstakes, contests or other promotions.

• We may offer you the opportunity to participate in a sweepstakes, contest or other promotion.
• Some of these promotions have additional rules containing information about how we will use and disclose your information.  Please read those additional rules before choosing to participate.

Facilitating employment applications, volunteer opportunities and donation requests.

• To administer, evaluate and process your employment applications.
• To facilitate volunteer opportunities that you request.
• To evaluate and process your donation requests.

Aggregating and/or anonymizing Personal Information.

• We may aggregate and/or anonymize information so that it will no longer be considered Personal Information. We do so to generate other data for our use, which we may use and disclose for any purpose, as it no longer identifies you or any other individual.

Accomplishing our business purposes.

• Data analysis, for example, to improve the efficiency of our Services.
• Audits to verify that our internal processes function as intended and to address legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements.
• Fraud and security monitoring purposes, for example, to detect and prevent cyberattacks or attempts to commit identity theft.
• Developing new products and services.
• Enhancing, improving, repairing, maintaining, or modifying our current products and services, as well as undertaking quality and safety assurance measures.
• Determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, so that we can adapt our campaigns to the needs and interests of our users. In the online context, this can include recognizing our users across the different devices they use for purposes of ad measurement.
• Operating and expanding our business activities, for example, understanding which parts of our Services are of most interest to our users so we can focus our energies on meeting our users’ interests.

Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose your information in the following situations:

• To our affiliates: We may share your information with our affiliates to provide the Services to you and for other purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
• To our service providers: We partner with third parties to assist with many aspects of our business, including to provide Services to you, website hosting, data analysis, payment processing, order fulfillment, information technology and related infrastructure provision, customer service, email and other communication delivery, marketing and advertising, including ad measurement, auditing, and other services. We may also disclose your information to third parties that you may be interested in hearing from or about.
• To contest sponsors: We may disclose your information to third party sponsors of sweepstakes, contests, and similar promotions.
• For legal compliance: We will disclose information about you, including to government authorities or law enforcement agencies, when we reasonably believe we are required to do so by law or legal process, and in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected or actual unlawful or otherwise prohibited activities, including, but not limited to, fraud, harassment or other violations of law.
• To enforce our policies: We may disclose your information in order to enforce our terms and conditions or to otherwise protect our rights, privacy, safety or property or the rights, privacy, safety or property of our affiliates, you or others.
• In connection with a sale or business transaction: We have a legitimate interest in disclosing or transferring your information to a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
• With your consent: We may disclose your information for any other purpose with your consent.

In conjunction with laws and regulations enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) and similar state and local regulatory agencies, we may ask you to provide us with self-identifying information (such as veteran status, gender and ethnicity).  Providing such self-identifying information is voluntary, but if you do provide us with such information, we may submit that information to the EEOC, the OFCCP, and similar state and local regulatory agencies, or otherwise use or disclose it for business-related purposes, including responding to information requests, fulfilling regulatory reporting requirements, and defending against employment related complaints.

Please note that information gathered through the Mobile Text Messaging Program will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.

Information You May Share Through the Services

By using the Services, you may also elect to disclose information in the following circumstances:

• Public Blogs: You may disclose information on message boards, chat, profile pages, blogs, and other services to which you are able to post information and content (including, without limitation, our social media pages).  Please note that any information you post or disclose through these services will become public and may be available to other users and the general public.
• Social Sharing Activity: When you connect your Services account to your social media account, you may share information with your friends associated with your social media account, with other users, and with your social media account provider. By doing so, you authorize us to facilitate this sharing of information, and you understand that the use of shared information will be governed by the social media provider’s privacy policy.
• Payment Providers: Your information may also be collected and processed by third parties, such as the payment providers you select, who will process your information independently in accordance with their own privacy notices.

Security

We seek to use reasonable organizational, technical and administrative measures to protect the information you provide to us.  Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please immediately notify us in accordance with the Contacting Us section below.

Choices and Access

You have the following choices regarding our use and disclosure of your information:

• Location Information: You can disable location-based services on your mobile device or web browser by adjusting the settings on your device or browser. This will prevent our Services from accessing your location information. Note that some services may not be available if you disable location-based services.
• Email Communications: If you no longer want to receive promotional emails, corporate emails, or job notification emails from us on a going-forward basis, you may opt out by following the instructions provided in those communications or unsubscribing.  You may also modify your email communication preferences by logging on to your account.  
• SMS Messages: You may opt-out of receiving SMS text messages in accordance with the “Mobile Text Messaging” section below.
• Online Advertising: You may receive advertisements based on information relating to your access to and use of the Services and other websites or online services on any of your devices.  These companies place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser (including through the use of pixel tags).  They also use these technologies to recognize you across the devices you use, such as a mobile phone and a laptop.  If you would like more information, or to learn how to opt out of such advertisements, please visit http://optout.aboutads.info/#/ and http://optout.networkadvertising.org/#/. 
• Google Analytics: Depending on your location, we may utilize Google Analytics. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites you use.  To do so, visit this website. 
• Updating Your Information: You can update your information by logging into your account with us, by emailing Privacy@biglots.com, or calling 1-866-244-5687.

We will try to comply with your request(s) as soon as reasonably practicable.  Please note that if you opt out of receiving marketing related communications from us, we may still send you important administrative messages, from which you cannot opt out.

Third Party Services

This Privacy Policy does not address, and we are not responsible for, the privacy, information, or other practices of any third parties, including any third party operating any website or service to which the Services link.  The inclusion of a link on the Services does not imply endorsement of the linked site or service by us or by our affiliates. When you link away from our Services, you do so at your own risk. We encourage you to read the policies and terms of every website, app or service you visit.

Use of Services by Minors

The Services are not directed to or intended for individuals under the age of sixteen (16) and we do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 16. No one under 16 should share any information with us. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under 16. To request deletion of information relating to a child under 16, please contact us by email at Privacy@ biglots.com.

Volunteer Opportunities and Donation Requests

We may provide you the ability to track your volunteer work and submit your volunteer hours.  In addition, the Services may offer you the option to request a donation on behalf of an organization.  By requesting a donation on behalf of an organization, you represent that the organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit authorized to conduct business under the laws of the United States and that you have permission to request a donation on its behalf.  The organization’s information you provide will be used to contact the organization and your contact information may be included in the communication.

Mobile Text Messaging

If you elect to receive marketing and support text messages on your mobile device from Big Lots or Big Lots’ vendors, either via our website, QR Sign-up Code, offline form or electronic device at point of sale, or by text, and by sending a text message confirming your consent, you are providing your express written consent to receive periodic marketing, promotional, customer care, and support text messages from us (each, a “Text Message”) sent through an automatic telephone dialing system hosted by our third-party service provider. Message frequency varies. This service is optional, and your consent is not a condition for purchase. Your mobile providers’ message and data rates may apply to any confirmation Text Message and to all subsequent Text Messages according to your individual rate plan provided by your wireless carrier.  Please consult your mobile service carrier’s pricing plan to determine the charges for browsing data and sending and receiving Text Messages. Under no circumstances will Big Lots or our affiliates be responsible for any text messaging or wireless charges incurred by you or by a person that has access to your wireless device or telephone number. If your carrier does not permit text messages, you may not receive our Text Messages. Neither we nor the wireless carriers will be liable for any delays in the receipt of, or failure to deliver, any Text Messages, as delivery is subject to effective transmission from your network operator. Text Message services are provided on an “AS IS” basis.  Data obtained from you in connection with any Text Message may include your cell phone number, your provider’s name and the date, time and content of your text messages.  Big Lots may use this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy to contact you and to provide the services you request from us. You can opt out of receiving Text Messages from this program at any time by replying STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, or QUIT to any Text Message you receive in connection with the program, or by calling our Customer Service team at 1-866-244-5687.  For help, email Privacy@biglots.com. 

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

By Email at Privacy@biglots.com 

By Mail at:

Big Lots Stores, LLC
Attn: Office of the General Counsel (Privacy Matter)
4900 E. Dublin Granville Road
Columbus, OH 43081

Because email communications are not always secure, please do not include credit card or other sensitive information in your emails to us.

U.S. Privacy Rights

Certain U.S. states afford residents rights with respect to their Personal Information.  The rights described herein are subject to exemptions under applicable law.  For purposes of this section, the term “Personal Information” includes both “Personal Information” and “Personal Data” as defined by applicable law.

If your Personal Information is subject to a privacy law in your state, you may have certain privacy rights with regard to that information.  You may have the right to:

• Know, access, and confirm your Personal Information.
• Delete the Personal Information we have about you, subject to exceptions under applicable law.
• Correct inaccuracies in your Personal Information.
• Obtain your Personal Information in a portable and readily usable format.
• Opt-out of the use or processing of your Personal Information for profiling or targeted advertising.
• Opt-out of the sale or sharing of your Personal Information

.

Under certain state laws, you may also have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for the exercise of any of these privacy rights.  We will not discriminate against you because you have exercised any of your rights.

Certain state laws may also provide you the right to appeal our decisions regarding your rights requests if we do not respond to your requests or do not take action regarding your requests.  You may appeal our decision with respect to a privacy request you have submitted by emailing us at Privacy@biglots.com. Additionally, if you are a resident of the state of California, you may have a right to pursue legal action for improper handling of your Personal Information.

Categories of Personal Information Collected and Disclosed; Categories of Third Parties; and Business and Commercial Purposes

In the past 12 months, we may have collected and disclosed the categories of Personal Information that are indicated in the chart below to the third parties noted in the chart below. Note that the specific pieces of Personal Information we collect about you may vary depending on the nature of your interactions with us and may not include all of the examples listed.

We may also collect Personal Information about you that does not directly fit within one of the categories listed above, which information is described in Information We Collect.

For more information about the business and commercial purposes for which we disclose Personal Information, see Use of Your Information.

Collection and Disclosure of Associate Information

We use Personal Information collected about our employees associates, job applicants, contractors, directors, officers and owners for employment, workforce, and operational management purposes: to manage our personnel, facilities, and infrastructure; for workforce performance management, career development, payments administration, employee training, leaves and promotions; to manage wages and other awards, and for providing  healthcare, pensions, savings plans and other benefits; to maintain, operate, manage and secure our facilities, equipment, systems, and infrastructure; to undertake quality and safety assurance measures, protect the health and safety of our workforce and others, and conduct risk and security control and monitoring; to conduct research, analytics, and data analysis to assist in planning succession and to ensure business continuity, as well as to design employee retention programs and diversity initiatives; and to perform identity verification, accounting, audit, and other internal functions, such as internal investigations.

Sources of Personal Information

We may collect your information from the categories of sources listed under Collection of Your Information.

Sensitive Information

We do not collect, disclose, or otherwise process your Sensitive Personal Information or Sensitive Data without your prior consent.  Unless we specifically request that you disclose such information, we ask that you not send us, and you not disclose, any such information (e.g., social security numbers, information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, biometrics or genetic characteristics, or criminal background) on or through the Services or otherwise to us.

Sale and Sharing of Personal Information

While we do not sell your Personal Information for monetary consideration, certain state laws may characterize our sharing of Personal Information with companies that provide services to us, such as companies that help us to market or advertise our products and services to you, as “sales” or “sharing” for purposes of cross-context targeted advertising.

Categories of Personal Information disclosed in the past 12 months that may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” for purposes of cross-context targeted advertising under applicable law, as described above: Identifiers, Records Information, Characteristics of protected classifications, Commercial information, Internet or network activity information, and Geolocation data. We “sell” or “share” this information with our marketing providers, analytics providers, and our ad providers for business and commercial purposes to provide personalized services, ads, and marketing to you.

We do not knowingly sell or share the Personal Information of children under 16 years of age.

How to Submit Privacy Requests

If you wish to exercise the rights listed above and are a resident of a state that provides such privacy rights, you may submit a request by emailing Privacy@biglots.com, clicking here or calling 1-866-244-5687. If you choose to submit your request via email, you must include “Privacy Rights Request” in the subject line and clearly provide us with the following information: what type of request you are making, your full name, email address, and valid physical address.  You may only make one request per email.  We will verify and respond to your request consistent with applicable law, taking into account the type and sensitivity of the Personal Information subject to the request.  We may need to request additional Personal Information from you, such as state of residency; mailing address(es), email address(es), and phone number(s) used to interact with us; and BIG Rewards account number or registered email address, in order to verify your identity and protect against fraudulent requests.  If you make a request to delete your Personal Information, we may ask you to confirm your request before we delete your Personal Information. 

Authorized Agents

Please note that you may authorize an agent to exercise any of these rights on your behalf by using the methods described above. If you use are an agent acting on behalf of a consumer, we will take measures to verify your authorization, and may require the following:

• Proof of your registration with the Secretary of State;
• A power of attorney from the consumer;
• Authorization from the consumer to make a request on their behalf.  This permission must be signed (via physical or e-signature) by the consumer. 

Additional Information for Nevada Residents

We do not sell Covered Information as defined under Nevada law.  If you would like to make any inquiry regarding the sale of your Covered Information, please contact Privacy@biglots.com.

Additional California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of California, under 18, and a registered user of the Services, you may ask us to remove content or information that you have posted to the Services by writing to: Privacy@biglots.com.  Please note that your request does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information, as, for example, some of your content may have been reposted by another user.

In addition, once a year, California residents may request a list of the categories of personal information that we share with third parties and/or our affiliates for their own marketing purposes, as well as the contact information for these third parties/affiliates. To make this request, contact us or send a letter to the address listed below, note that it is a “California Privacy Rights Request,” and provide your name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code:  

Big Lots Stores, Inc.
Attn: Office of the General Counsel (California Privacy Rights Request)
4900 E. Dublin Granville Road
Columbus, OH 43081

Email: Privacy@biglots.com 

Updates to this Privacy Policy

The “Last Updated” legend at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when this Privacy Policy was last revised.  Any changes will become effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on the Services. To see our previous privacy policy click here.