Big Lots privacy policy highlights data handling under Variety Wholesalers

Big Lots’ privacy policy took effect Feb. 1, 2025, under Variety Wholesalers, Inc., its affiliates, and subsidiaries. The notice covers data Big Lots collects and uses across its websites and related services, from browsing the site to applying for a job.

What the policy is telling workers

At Big Lots, privacy is not limited to what happens at the cash register. The notice covers the company’s websites and related services, which means ordinary online behavior can feed into company records whether a customer is shopping, signing up for emails, locating a store, or reaching out for help.

On the sales floor and in customer service, workers are often the first people asked where information goes. If someone asks about email marketing, an order problem, or account details, the privacy notice is where Big Lots lays out its data practices. Associates do not need to improvise an answer, and they should not guess about what the company tracks.

Where the data trail starts

Big Lots’ own site makes the data collection points easy to spot. The store locator invites people to find a local Big Lots store, the contact page steers them toward customer service, and the newsletter sign-up prompt asks people to subscribe for new products and deals. Each of those actions can generate a digital trail, even if the customer never buys anything.

A store search can reveal location interest, a newsletter sign-up can attach an email address to a marketing list, and a support request can create a service record. The notice confirms this kind of routine retail web activity is part of the company’s data handling, not an exception.

Why job applicants should pay attention

The jobs page adds another layer. Big Lots routes applicants to an online recruiting portal, which means a résumé submission is not just a paper application moved onto a screen. Browser cookies, form fields, uploaded files, and log-in activity can all become part of the record when someone applies online.

Before hitting submit, applicants should use the company site, check what information the recruiting portal asks for, and think twice before volunteering anything that is not needed for the application itself.

• Use the official Big Lots site or recruiting portal rather than a third-party link if you want the company’s own disclosure.

• Check whether you are in shopping, support, or hiring flow, because each one can create different records.

• Assume browser cookies, form submissions, and email sign-ups leave data trails tied to your activity.

• If you are helping a customer, point them to the notice instead of improvising a policy answer.

Credit-card data is handled separately

Big Lots has a separate online privacy policy for its credit-card platform hosted by Comenity and Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. That means customer data may be handled by different entities depending on which service they use.

Questions about the retail website, newsletter sign-ups, and customer-service contacts belong under Big Lots’ privacy notice. Questions about the credit-card platform belong under the separate policy tied to the card service. When a customer mixes the two, staff should know the company has split those disclosures, and that the right answer depends on which system the person used.

Why the corporate structure matters

The privacy notice names Variety Wholesalers, Inc., its affiliates, and subsidiaries after a series of ownership changes at Big Lots. On Dec. 23, 2024, Gordon Brothers said store-closing sales had begun at all 869 Big Lots locations in a joint venture with Hilco Consumer - Retail and Tiger Capital Group. Big Lots then said on Jan. 3, 2025, that it had sold substantially all of its assets to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners.

Gordon Brothers said on Jan. 9, 2025, that it had completed the purchase of Big Lots and facilitated the going-concern sale. In April 2025, Variety Wholesalers said it would reopen 219 acquired Big Lots locations in waves, including about 55 stores in a second wave. The reopening plan expanded to 132 stores across 14 states in May 2025.

The notice is now tied to Variety Wholesalers, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries instead of the old Big Lots corporate structure. When someone asks who is handling data, the named entity in the notice is Variety Wholesalers, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries.

What to check before you submit anything

Before entering information, it helps to know which page you are on, what service is collecting the data, and whether the request is about shopping, support, or hiring. If the issue is a credit card, the separate Comenity and Bread Financial notice is the one to read.