shopping bag

| my account

Search
privacy policy

This policy was last updated on June 4, 2006.

This website is operated by macys.com, and this privacy policy applies to this website only. To view the separate privacy policy that applies to your Macy's credit card and to read more information about our credit services, please click here.

At macys.com, we respect our customers and understand that you are concerned about privacy, so we've instituted policies intended to ensure that your personal information is handled safely and responsibly. We also have posted this privacy policy to let you know what kind of information we collect, how it is handled, with whom it may be shared, what choices you have regarding our use of your information, and how you may access some of the data you provide to us.

As we continue to develop our website and take advantage of technologies to improve the services we offer, this may change. We therefore encourage you to refer to this policy on an ongoing basis so that you understand our current privacy policy.

If you have any questions about this policy, you can contact us in a number of ways: 1) by using the Contact Us Form and selecting the subject "PRIVACY MASTER" from the first drop-down menu. Then, using the drop-down menu directly beneath that, please select "PRIVACY POLICY"; 2) by postal mail at Macy's Credit and Customer Services, ATTN: Privacy Master, P.O. Box 8215, Mason, OH 45040; 3) or by calling our Privacy Hotline at 1-888-529-2254.

If you have any questions regarding your store credit account(s), click here for more information.

What Information Do We Collect?
We collect various types of information depending upon how you use our site.

  • When you order from us, we collect your name, billing address, shipping address, email address, phone number, and credit card number (with expiration date) or gift card number. We also gather information on the person who will receive any gift you send (e.g., that person's name and address) and we will retain a record of your purchases. In addition, if you are a registered user and have signed in when you enter this information, it will automatically be saved in your Wallet and/or Address Book for ease of reference.
  • When you become a macys.com registered user, we collect your name, mailing address, email address, birth date and password. This information is gathered to make your shopping experience as a registered user as quick and easy as possible.
  • When you enter a sweepstakes or contest online, we usually collect your name, address, email address, and phone number. We also may ask you for additional information, such as your age, interests, product preferences, or zip code.
  • When you submit a question to customer service, we need your email address to respond, and you also may provide us with various additional information to help us answer your question.
  • We also may receive some information about you from other sources and may add it to your account information. For example, we might get your updated address from a shipper or information on your preferences from another Web site conducting a promotion or event with us.
  • When you apply for a Macy's credit card, you will be asked to provide your name, address, email address, phone number, and other information needed to assess your creditworthiness and verify your identity, such as social security number and employer. This information is required to process your application. The personal information you provide is transmitted through a secure server using SSL encryption. To apply for a Macy's credit card and review the separate privacy policy that applies to your Macy's credit card account, click here.
  • We may acquire customer lists from other parties so that we may invite new people to visit macys.com. Our policy is to acquire only lists of people who have indicated that they are willing to receive email offers. Also, each time we send an email offer, we provide people with the opportunity to opt out of receiving future email offers.
  • We have carefully selected a company, Coremetrics, to assist us in better understanding how people use our site. macys.com will place cookies on your computer to collect information. The information that is collected through these cookies tells us things like which search engine referred you, how you navigated around our site, what you browsed and purchased and what traffic is driven by banner ads and emails.

    Coremetrics analyzes the information it collects from macys.com and returns it to us through a secure web connection. We use the information to help us understand your interests in our web site and how to better serve you. It also helps us provide you with more personalized product offerings. macys.com does not allow Coremetrics to collect credit card, username or password information.

    Coremetrics may only use your personal information to perform services for us. It may not share your personal information with anyone else, or use it for any other purpose, except on an aggregate, non-personal basis (in other words, the information will not be identified with you). Coremetrics is required to maintain all of the information it collects and analyzes securely and in confidence. For more information on Coremetrics privacy policy, click here.

    As a visitor to macys.com, you may choose to opt-out of Coremetrics' analysis of your browsing and purchasing behavior on our site. You may also choose to continue to benefit from the improved shopping experience that the Coremetrics analysis allows us to provide, but maintain your anonymity. To learn more about the various levels of privacy and confidentiality you can select with respect to Coremetrics on this site and to exercise your opt-out choices, click here.

    Please note that Coremetrics collects data on our site using first-party data collection. As a result, blocking cookies served from third-party domains will not block these first-party macys.com cookies. You need to follow the opt-out process specified (see paragraph above) in order to opt-out of Coremetrics data collection.

What Are Cookies and Do We Use Them?
A cookie is a small piece of information sent by a Web site that is saved on your hard disk by your computer's browser. It holds information a site may need to interact with you and personalize your experience. At macys.com, we use two kinds of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies.

Session cookies exist only for as long as your browser remains open. Once you exit your browser, they go away. We use session cookies to maintain information we need to have in order for you to shop at macys.com. For example, the Session ID cookie that we ask your browser to hold retains the ID for your shopping bag. Without the Session ID cookie, you can't add merchandise to your bag and carry it to Checkout.

Persistent cookies, in contrast, last from visit to visit; they do not go away when you exit your browser. At macys.com, we use persistent cookies to give you a more personalized shopping experience and to help you navigate our store more efficiently. We will use your information to enhance your site experience. However, you can use our site without accepting a persistent cookie. To do so, you should set your browser options to reject persistent cookies. Alternatively, you can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, which gives you the opportunity to decide whether you want to accept it or not. In many instances, the Help button on your browser toolbar will tell you how you can take these steps.

Cookies can be used by a Web site to recognize you. But that does not necessarily mean any personal information is stored in the cookies. At macys.com, we store no personal information about you in the cookies. Anything you choose to tell us about yourself (such as your address and email address) is stored safely and separately on our secured servers, and you need to provide a password to access it.

We also use cookies to look at how groups, rather than individuals, use our Web site. In our physical stores, we can observe which aisles and departments are most heavily trafficked and determine what displays or sales are the most successful. Then, we can identify ways to improve the customer experience. On the Web, cookies help us develop a similar understanding so that we can continue to improve the arrangement, product offerings, and merchandise placement you see at macys.com.

How Do We Use Your Information?
We may use your information in a number of ways, including the following:
  • In order to serve you better, we may combine the information you provide us online, in our stores and through our catalogs. We use that information to improve your overall shopping experience.
  • To improve the content on our Web site. For example, we may use cookies to find out which parts of our site or our products are visited most often.
  • To enhance your online shopping experience. For example, we may use it to recognize you and welcome you to the site.
  • For marketing and promotional purposes. For example, we send out email and direct mail to our online and store customers about products or events that we think may be of interest to them. We also may send you offers for discounts or free services (e.g., free gift wrap or shipping) on our site or in our stores.

Do We Share Your Information?
The information gathered may be shared with the Macy's, Inc.' family of companies, which include Macy's and Bloomingdale's. We also share the information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship. For example:

  • When you make a purchase, we may share information about you and your transaction with other companies for the purpose of processing your transaction, including fraud prevention, vendor direct shipping and credit card authorization.
  • WeddingChannel (www.weddingchannel.com) operates the website where you can access the Macy's bridal registry (the "Macy's Wedding & Gift Registry") or register for your own wedding. When you use that Web site, Macy's Wedding & Gift Registry, macys.com and WeddingChannel receive your information. Please note that WeddingChannel is a separate company; it is not part of the Macy's, Inc. family.
  • Some of our vendors may work closely with us to create a vendor shop within the macys.com site or to ship your order directly to you. In certain instances, we may share certain information about you with that vendor (e.g., if you decide to buy their products).
  • You also may make a purchase from macys.com through a link from another Web site or search engine and may use their express checkout tool to do so. When you do, please be aware that both macys.com and that Web site or search engine will receive your information.
  • In some cases, macys.com may enter into a co-branding relationship with another Web site that offers you products or services that supplement macys.com's assortment (e.g., flowers). In those cases, you may link from macys.com to another site to purchase the item. In that case, both macys.com and the other Web site may receive your information.
  • macys.com may team with another Web site to conduct a sweepstakes or other event (e.g., a live Web chat). In those cases, each of the participating Web sites may collect or receive personal information from you.
  • For some of our products, macys.com may provide you with a link to the supplier of that product so that you may get further information. If you link to the supplier's site, the supplier may collect or receive information about you.
  • Like other companies, macys.com may use third party advertising companies to serve ads (e.g., banners or links) on its behalf. These companies may employ cookies and action tags (also known as single pixel gifs or web beacons) to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and action tags is anonymous. If you would like more information about this practice and your choices, click here.

In most of the above situations, these third parties will receive your information because you will be visiting their Web sites or using their links and, in doing so, you may provide information directly to them. You therefore should refer to their privacy policies to understand how they handle your information and what kinds of choices you have.

macys.com also may share your personal information with outside companies that perform services for macys.com. For example, we may retain an outside company to manage a database containing certain customer information or to create and distribute an email offering. In those situations, the outside party is performing work for macys.com, and macys.com takes appropriate steps designed to ensure your information is used only to provide the services requested by macys.com, and not for other purposes.

Additionally, macys.com may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law or to protect our interests or property. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, credit bureaus, agents or government agencies in connection with issues related to fraud, credit or debt collection.

And in the event that some or all of the business assets of macys.com are sold or transferred, we generally would transfer the corresponding information about our customers.

Finally, macys.com may share your personal information with unrelated outside companies so that they can directly market their products or services to you if we feel that a company offers products or services that we believe may be of interest. We also may provide you with the opportunity to sign up on our Web site to receive such email offers.

What Choices Do You Have Regarding the Use of Your Information?
We provide you with a number of choices regarding our handling of your personal information.

If you do not want to receive email from macys.com and/or do not want us to share your information with unrelated third parties for marketing purposes, please submit a request electronically by doing the following:

Please click here to change your privacy options via email.

  • "Please do not send me email" or
  • "Keep my email address private" or

Or, to opt-out of email, you can click on the unsubscribe link and hit send at the bottom of any macys.com email communication.

Note: Once you have submitted your request you should assume that it has been successfully received and your request is being processed. Please allow us 10 business days from when the request was received to complete the removal, as some of our promotions may already have been in process before you submitted your request.

If you prefer to, you may contact macys.com by phone at 888-529-2254 or by mail at MCCS Customer Service, ATTN: Privacy Master, P.O. Box 8215, Mason, OH 45040 to notify us of your request. Again, please allow us 10 business days from when the request was received to process your removal.

If you shop at our Macy's stores and wish to be removed from the list of customers that receive direct mail or telemarketing calls, please either:

  • write to MCCS Customer Service, P.O. Box 8215, Mason, OH 45040, or
  • call Customer Service toll-free at 1-888-529-2254.
  • If you choose to write to us, please include your name, address and credit card account number (if you have one), and state one of the following:
  • "NO MAIL OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive offers by mail);
  • "NO PHONE OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive offers by phone); or
  • "NO PHONE OR MAIL OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive either).

Because customer lists often are prepared well in advance of an offering (sometimes 3-4 months before the offer is made), you may continue to receive some offers after you send us a request not to use your information for specified marketing purposes. We appreciate your patience and understanding in giving us time to carry out your request.

You also may use the address and phone number above to request that we not disclose your personal information to unrelated third parties for marketing purposes. If you choose to write to us, please include your name, address and credit card account number (if you have one) and state "NO THIRD PARTY SHARING" in your request.

Can I Access My Information?

If you are a registered user of macys.com, you can update your information in My Account.

If you have questions about your order, you may check your order status online in My Account.

If you would like to email our Customer Service Department, please click here or visit our Customer Service page and click on Privacy Options.

Questions regarding your charge account may be forwarded to our Credit Customer Service Department. Please use the Contact Us Form and select the appropriate subject line from the drop down menu.

Is My Information Secure?
macys.com is committed to doing its best to maintain the security of information collected on our site. To try to prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place the appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Private account and customer information is located on a secured server behind a firewall; it is not directly connected to the Internet.

Encryption is a process by which a message or information is scrambled while it is in transit to macys.com. It is based on a key that has two different parts, public and private. The public part of the key is distributed to those with whom you want to communicate. The private part is for the recipient's use only. So long as you use a browser that allows for encryption, when you send personal information to us, you use a public key to encrypt your personal information. If your information is intercepted during the transmission, it is scrambled and very difficult to decrypt. Once we receive your encrypted personal information, we use the private part of our key to decode it.

What About Information About Children?
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act took effect on April 21, 2000 and imposes certain requirements on Web sites directed toward children under 13 that collect information on those children, or on Web sites that know they are collecting information on children under the age of 13. We want to let you know that it currently is macys.com's policy not to collect personal information on any person under 13. For this reason, our online sweepstakes are restricted to entrants who, at a minimum, are at least 13.

If this policy changes, macys.com will revise this portion of its privacy policy and will comply with the requirements of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which include providing notice and choice to each child's parent or guardian before collecting personal information.

Your California Privacy Rights
Under California Civil Code sections 1798.83-1798.84, California residents are entitled to ask us for a notice describing what categories of personal customer information Macy's and Macys.com share with third parties or corporate affiliates for those third parties or corporate affiliates' direct marketing purposes. That notice will identify the categories of information shared and will include a list of the third parties and affiliates with which it was shared, along with their names and addresses. If you are a California resident and would like a copy of this notice, please submit a written request to the following address: Macy's Customer Service, P.O. Box 8067, Mason, OH 45040. In your request, please specify that you want a "Your Macy's California Privacy Rights Notice". Please allow 30 days for a response.

Thank you for shopping with macys.com. If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please visit Customer Service and choose Privacy Options.




Visually impaired customers: download our new user assistance tool

©2008 macys.com is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Legal Notice, Privacy Policy, Pricing Policy, Your California Privacy Rights.

Macys.com, Inc., 22 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-3131. Request our corporate name and address by email.

Macy's TV
Macy's Earth Week