Last Updated: October 6, 2025
At Bear Clan Bougie, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (bearclanbougie.com), make a purchase, or interact with our services. We operate as a print-on-demand t-shirt business using WooCommerce for e-commerce functionality, including its available extensions for order management, customer accounts, and analytics. Payments are processed securely through Stripe as our payment gateway.
By using our website, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the site or use our services. This policy complies with applicable laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for EU residents and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents.
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information to provide, improve, and personalize our services. The types of information we collect include:
Personal Information
– Account and Order Details: When you create an account, place an order, or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, phone number, and payment information (e.g., credit card details, which are not stored on our servers but processed via Stripe).
– Communication Data: Information you provide when contacting us, such as through support emails to support@bearclanbougie.com.
Non-Personal Information
– Usage Data: Automatically collected data like your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on the site, and referral sources.
– Cookies and Tracking Data: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to track user behavior. WooCommerce and its extensions (e.g., for abandoned cart recovery or analytics) may set cookies to enhance functionality.
We do not collect sensitive personal information (e.g., racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs) unless voluntarily provided in custom order notes.
2. How We Collect Information
– Directly from You: Through online forms for registration, checkout, or inquiries.
– Automatically: Via cookies, server logs, and WooCommerce plugins (e.g., Google Analytics integration for traffic insights).
– From Third Parties: Payment processors like Stripe provide confirmation of transactions; shipping partners may share delivery status.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for the following purposes:
– Fulfill Orders: Process payments via Stripe, print and ship t-shirts, and manage customer accounts using WooCommerce.
– Improve Services: Analyze site usage to enhance user experience, troubleshoot issues, and develop new features.
– Communications: Send order confirmations, shipping updates, promotional emails (with opt-out options), and support responses.
– Marketing: Personalize recommendations based on past purchases (e.g., via WooCommerce extensions for email marketing).
– Legal Compliance: Prevent fraud, comply with tax laws, and respond to legal requests.
We process data based on your consent, contractual necessity (e.g., order fulfillment), or legitimate interests (e.g., site security).
4. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with trusted third parties under strict confidentiality agreements:
– Service Providers: WooCommerce hosts (e.g., for hosting and security), print-on-demand partners for production and fulfillment, and shipping carriers (e.g., USPS, UPS) for delivery.
– Payment Processors: Stripe handles all payment data securely and separately from our systems. For more details, see Stripe’s Privacy Policy at [stripe.com/privacy](https://stripe.com/privacy).
– Analytics Tools: Aggregated, anonymized data may be shared with Google Analytics or similar WooCommerce extensions.
– Legal Requirements: If required by law, such as in response to a subpoena or to protect our rights.
For international orders, data may be transferred to countries outside your jurisdiction (e.g., to U.S.-based printers), with appropriate safeguards like Standard Contractual Clauses.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our site uses cookies for essential functions (e.g., maintaining your cart in WooCommerce), performance (e.g., load times), and advertising (e.g., retargeting). You can manage preferences via your browser settings:
– Essential cookies cannot be disabled.
– Third-party cookies (e.g., from Stripe or Google) can be opted out of via tools like the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
For a full list, see our Cookie Policy (linked in the site footer).
6. Data Security
We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including SSL encryption for data transmission, secure WooCommerce configurations, and access controls. Stripe uses PCI DSS-compliant standards for payments. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute protection against breaches.
In the event of a data incident, we will notify affected users as required by law.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as necessary:
– Order data: 7 years for tax and legal purposes.
– Account data: Until you delete your account or request erasure.
– Marketing data: Until you unsubscribe.
You can request deletion at any time (see below).
8. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
– Access: Request a copy of your personal data.
– Correction: Update inaccurate information.
– Deletion: Request removal (subject to legal obligations).
– Objection/Restriction: Object to processing or restrict it in certain cases.
– Portability: Receive your data in a structured format.
– Withdraw Consent: For consent-based processing (e.g., newsletters).
To exercise these rights, email support@bearclanbougie.com with your request, including verification (e.g., order number). We respond within 30 days (or 45 for complex requests). California residents have additional CCPA rights, such as opting out of “sales” (we do not sell data).
9. Children’s Privacy
Our site is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we discover such data, we will delete it promptly. Parents/guardians can contact us for assistance.
10. Third-Party Links
Our site may contain links to third-party sites (e.g., Stripe or social media). We are not responsible for their privacy practices—review their policies separately.
11. International Users
Our site is hosted in the United States. By using it, you consent to data transfer to and processing in the U.S., which may have different privacy laws.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please email us at support@bearclanbougie.com. For EU/UK residents, our Data Protection Officer can be reached at the same address.
Thank you for trusting Bear Clan Bougie with your information. We value your privacy and are dedicated to handling it responsibly.