Privacy Policy

Whitfield Mercantile ("we", "us", "our") is a family-owned general store in South Austin, Texas. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit thewellverdict.com (the "Site"), contact us, or shop with us, how we use it, and the choices you have.

1. Overview

We keep things simple. We collect only what we need to run the Site, answer your messages, fulfill orders you place with us, and understand how people find and use the Site. We do not sell your personal information.

By using the Site you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact details — your name, email address and anything you include when you email us or reach out through social media.
• Order details — if you place an order with us for pickup, local delivery or shipping, we collect the information needed to fulfill it, such as your name, shipping address, phone number and what you ordered. Payments are processed in store or through a third-party payment provider; we do not store full card numbers on the Site.
• Gift and delivery details — recipient names, addresses and gift messages you ask us to include.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, our hosting provider and any analytics or advertising tools we use may automatically collect:

• Device and browser information (browser type, operating system, screen size, language).
• IP address and approximate location (city or region).
• Pages you view, the links you click, the site that referred you, and the date and time of your visit.
• Identifiers stored in cookies or similar technologies (see Section 4).

Information from other sources

If you interact with us on a social media platform (for example, by commenting on or messaging our page), we may receive information from that platform in line with its own privacy settings and policies.

3. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Answer your questions and respond to your messages.
• Process, fulfill and deliver orders, and let you know when they are ready or on the way.
• Operate, maintain, secure and improve the Site.
• Understand how visitors find and use the Site so we can make it better.
• Show you ads for our shop on other platforms and measure whether those ads work (see Section 5).
• Comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms of Use, and protect our rights, our customers and our business.

We do not use your information to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device. The Site may use the following types:

• Essential cookies — needed for the Site to work properly and securely.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand traffic and usage in aggregate (for example, which pages are most visited).
• Advertising cookies and pixels — set by advertising partners such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to measure our ads and show you relevant ads on their platforms.

Your choices. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings. Blocking essential cookies may affect how the Site works. To limit advertising cookies, see the opt-out options in Section 5.

5. Advertising and social media

We may promote the shop on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, which are operated by Meta Platforms, Inc. To measure and improve those ads, the Site may use the Meta Pixel or similar tools. These tools can collect information about your visit (such as the pages you viewed and your device identifiers) and share it with the platform, which may combine it with information it already holds about you under its own privacy policy.

You can control how Meta uses this information through your Facebook Ad Preferences and Instagram settings. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from many companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative.

Any content you post publicly on our social media pages is visible to other users of those platforms and governed by their terms and privacy policies.

6. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these situations:

• Service providers — companies that help us run the Site and the business, such as web hosting, email, payment processing, shipping carriers and analytics or advertising platforms. They may use your information only to provide services to us.
• Advertising partners — as described in Section 5. Under some state privacy laws, allowing an advertising partner to collect information through a pixel may be considered "sharing" for targeted advertising. You can opt out as described in Section 8.
• Legal reasons — when required by law, subpoena or court order, or when we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers, our business or others.
• Business transfers — if the shop is sold, merged or reorganized, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.
• With your consent — for any other purpose you agree to.

7. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above. Emails and order records are kept for as long as reasonably necessary to serve you, resolve any issues and meet our tax, accounting and legal obligations. Analytics and advertising data are retained according to the settings and policies of the tools we use.

8. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Know what personal information we have collected about you and how we use and share it.
• Access a copy of that information.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Delete your personal information, subject to legal exceptions.
• Opt out of targeted advertising, the "sale" of personal information, or "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

These rights are provided under laws including the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act) and similar laws in other U.S. states, to the extent they apply to us.

Opting out of targeted advertising. You can opt out by emailing us as described above, by adjusting your cookie settings, or by using the industry opt-out tools linked in Section 5. Where our tools support it, we also honor the Global Privacy Control browser signal as a request to opt out.

Appeals. If we decline your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may contact your state's Attorney General.

Visitors outside the United States. The Site is operated from the United States and intended for U.S. customers. If you visit from elsewhere, your information will be processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your country.

9. Children's privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect your information, including HTTPS encryption on the Site. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please contact us right away if you believe your interaction with us is no longer secure.

11. Links to other websites

The Site may link to websites, makers or social media platforms we do not control. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any site you visit.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we will post a notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

13. Contact us

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your information? We're happy to help.