Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Store Hours Checker ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and discloses information when you use our website, Store Hours Checker (the "Service").

1. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide and improve our Service. The types of information we collect include:

• Usage Data: We automatically collect information about how you access and use the Service. This includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and other diagnostic data. This data helps us understand user behavior and improve the Service.
• Location Data: When you use the "Search Near Me" feature, your browser will ask for permission to access your precise location (GPS). If granted, this information is used temporarily to provide you with nearby store results and is not stored on our servers. We may also infer your approximate location (city/region) from your IP address for general service delivery and analytics, but this is not precise location data.
• Search Queries: The text you enter into the search bar is processed to find relevant store information. While these queries are sent to our backend and third-party APIs for processing, they are not stored in a way that identifies you personally.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for various purposes:

• To provide and maintain our Service, including displaying real-time store hours and locations.
• To improve, personalize, and expand our Service.
• To understand and analyze how you use our Service.
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues.
• To display advertisements (see "Third-Party Services" below).

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): We use GA4 to track and report website traffic. GA4 collects data about your interactions with our Service, such as page views, session duration, and device information. This data is used for analytics purposes to understand user behavior and improve our Service. You can learn more about Google Analytics' privacy practices here.
• Google Places API: We use the Google Places API to fetch real-time store information, including names, addresses, operating hours, and phone numbers. Your search queries and location data (if provided) are sent to this API to retrieve relevant results. Google's Privacy Policy applies to the use of the Google Places API. You can review it here.
• Google AdSense: (Once approved and implemented) We intend to use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our Service. AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Service or other websites. For more information on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, please visit Google's advertising privacy page here.

4. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our Service and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our Service.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

5. Data Security

The security of your data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

6. Your Choices

You can typically disable location services on your device or in your browser settings if you do not wish to share your precise location. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, which prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (gtag.js, ga.js, analytics.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us through the About Us / Contact section on our main page.