Protecting your online privacy is a priority at Mary Engelbreit Enterprises, Inc. (ME), which includes Mary Engelbreit & Company (MECO) and Mary Engelbreit Retail, Inc.. We hope the following Privacy Statement will help you understand ME's online information practices so that you can make informed choices about the Personal Information (as defined below) you provide to us online. You are not required to provide to us any Personal Information in order to visit this website (variously referred to herein as "maryengelbreit.com" or "Site"). By using our website, you signify that you accept the policies outlined in this statement.
You will find a link to the ME Privacy Statement at the bottom of each page on this site.
Definitions
"Personal Information" is information that can be used to identify or contact a specific individual, such as a name, postal address, city, state, zip code, or e-mail address.
"Aggregate" is data gathered from any use of ME cyber-communications that does not allow us to identify or contact a specific individual yet yields other information about user, such as demographics, purchase categories (e.g., home accents), or the number of visitors using a particular browser to access the Site.
Collection and use of personal information
Personal information is information about you that ME collects online which you voluntarily provide to us during visits to www.maryengelbreit.com. At times we ask for the following information: name, email address, postal address, city, state, zip code, etc. For instance, in order to make an online purchase through The Mary Engelbreit Store, you will need to set up an account with us. In order to provide you with an account and to complete your purchase, we ask for the following information: name, email address, postal address, shipping address (if different from postal address), telephone number and credit card information. In order to set up an account, you will also be asked to create an account user name and password. Personal information may also be requested in connection with a sweepstakes or other game, promotion, survey or other activities on the Site.
We will use personal information provided by visitors to fulfill the purpose for which such information was provided, as described in this Privacy Statement and as disclosed at the time the visitor information is requested. For example, personal information may be used to provide visitors with product and service information tailored to each such visitor's interests based on such visitor's previous activities on the Site. Order information will be used to fulfill customer orders. We may also use postal address information provided by visitors to send them, among other things, information about Mary Engelbreit products, promotions and events. Additionally, we may use information about your activities on the Site, your purchases, and your computer equipment to improve the performance of our Site and to customize the content and layout of our Site pages for you. We may supplement personal and aggregate information collected from the Site with similar information obtained from our affiliates, companies with whom we have marketing or other business relationships, and other third party sources.
We may offer visitors the opportunity to receive special promotions from us and other companies. If a visitor elects to receive such offers (or does not indicate a preference not to receive such information), we will use the information provided by that visitor to send those offers.
We use aggregate information collected on the Site to evaluate how the Site is being used. For example, we may collect and analyze information about how many visitors arrived at certain pages of the Site, how long they stayed on those pages, and where they went afterwards. This information allows us to determine which pages might be the most interesting to and popular with visitors and enables us to provide visitors with a better and richer experience on the Site.
We also use personal information and aggregate information for a variety of marketing and promotional purposes. For instance, we may use information gleaned from your use of the Site or the purchases you make to inform you of new areas of the Site and product specials. This information may also be used to assist companies with whom we have marketing or other business relationships to display advertising or product placements of ours and of those companies that may be of interest to you. All in all, these activities are aimed at noting customer preferences so that we can make the best offering possible on our Site and enhance your experience of our Site.
You provide us with information, for example, when you Sign Up for Mary Engelbreit's e-newsletters or when you fill out our online Contact Us form to give us feedback or send inquiries to our staff. You may also, at times, voluntarily provide us with Personal Information when filling out ME online surveys; entering contests, drawings or sweepstakes; or participating in other ME events and promotions online. We make every effort to request only the information that is necessary to carry out our event, offering or promotion.
Updating Personal Information or opting out: You may update your information or unsubscribe from our e-mail list via the "update" or "unsubscribe" links at the bottom of each e-newsletter you receive from ME. Or you may contact ME via e-mail or phone (see "Contact Information" below) and request to be taken off the e-mail list.
Email Addresses: It is the policy of the Mary Engelbreit companies to maintain strictly opt-in email lists, meaning to only send emails to those who have requested to receive news from Mary Engelbreit companies. It is the policy of the Mary Engelbreit companies not to share email addresses with anyone outside the Mary Engelbreit companies unless we obtain your permission in advance. We use the e-mail address you voluntarily provide to us to let you know about Mary Engelbreit products, services, contests, events, surveys, etc., or to respond to your inquiries.
We examine aggregate (overall) e-mail traffic patterns (subscribers' use of links to websites from ME e-messages, for example) so that we can learn from our customers' preferences in order to provide the most relevant, informative and entertaining e-messages possible.
Aggregate Data: We examine Aggregate Data from Mary Engelbreit e-newsletter traffic patterns (e.g., subscribers' use of links to websites from ME e-messages) so that we can learn from our customers' preferences in order to provide the most relevant, informative and entertaining messages possible.
Postal Addresses: By providing your postal address to ME via this website, you agree that we may use the postal address you voluntarily provide to us in order to let you know about Mary Engelbreit products, services, contests, events, surveys, etc., or to respond to your inquiries.
ME may occasionally make our postal mailing list available to carefully screened companies that offer Mary Engelbreit products and services you may enjoy.
ME may also occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, including packaging, mailing and delivering purchases, answering customer questions about products or services, distributing postal mail or email, and processing event registration. We provide those companies only the information necessary to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose. We will not provide these companies with your email address.
NOTE: Providing your postal address is not required in order to Sign Up for emails from ME or to Contact Us with feedback or inquiries, take online ME-sponsored surveys, etc.
Collection and use of non-personal information
We do gather generic information automatically from your web browser, such as: the name of the domain and host from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com or earthlink.net); the Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer you are using; the browser software you use and your operating system; and the date and time you access our website.
We review these kinds of computer statistics in aggregate (overall) form. That is, we look at it on a collective basis, as a summary of how our website is being accessed, not on an individual basis. We do not link this information to your personal information. These statistics help us to improve our website and make your visits more appealing.
Cookies
Persistent cookies are used on this website. These are pieces of information or data sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive for record-keeping purposes. For example, we use cookies so that you do not have to re-enter all of your personal information each time you make a purchase from Mary Engelbreit Retail, Inc. online.
If you prefer not to accept cookies, you can reset your browser to notify you when you've received a cookie or to block all cookies altogether. Please note, however, that rejecting cookies while visiting this website my result in certain parts of the website not operating correctly or as efficiently as if they were allowed. You will not be able to make purchases online from Mary Engelbreit Retail, Inc. if you do not accept cookies. Once a cookie has been accepted, it can easily be cleared by using the tools provided on your web browser.
Children
Although ME does offer activity pages for children on this web site, the site is directed to children under the age of 13 as defined by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA"). Further, we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. For more information about protecting your child's privacy online, visit http://www.coppa.org. However, ME encourages parents and guardians to spend time online with their children and to participate in the interactive activities offered on the sites their children visit.
Data security
ME is fully committed to data security. To prevent unauthorized access to our data, maintain data accuracy and ensure the appropriate use of information, we have put in place a combination of technical, physical and administrative means to ensure nondisclosure of the Personal Information you provide to us online. We limit access to your Personal Information to those who need the information in order to do their jobs. They are prohibited from using the information for any purpose other than to carry out the services they are providing for ME.
ME takes appropriate steps to communicate our Privacy Statement to all ME employees and subcontractors.
While we strive to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee the security of the information you transmit to us. In this regard, we urge you to take every precaution to protect your Personal Information while you are on the Internet.
We maintain our website and information databases in the United States of America ("United States"). When you voluntarily provide your information to us via our website, you agree to the privacy terms outlined in the Privacy Statement and the laws of the United States, regardless of your country of origin.
If you are contacting this website from outside the United States, your continued use of this site acts as your consent to transfer data outside your country of origin. In addition, by using this website, you signify that you agree with the terms of this policy and consent to transborder data flow.
Notice of changes to privacy statement
This ME Privacy Statement is subject to change at any time. If we make material changes in our privacy practices that do not affect your Personal Information already stored in our database, we will post those changes here in the Privacy Statement area of our website (and indicate in the link if there has been a revision in the last six months). If we ever wish to use any of your Personal Information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection, we will do so only with your permission, and we will request that permission in advance.
Links to other websites
Several ME web pages contain links to other websites that may have online information practices different than ours. ME is not responsible for the privacy and security practices of those websites, and we encourage our visitors to learn about the privacy and security practices of those websites.
Contact information
ME welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Privacy Statement. Please contact us via e-mail and use the phrase "Privacy Statement" in the subject line, or write to us at the following address:
RE: Privacy Statement
Mary Engelbreit Enterprises
4814 Washington Blvd., Suite 230
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 833-3441
