Store Policies

MASKING POLICY UPDATE (AS OF AUGUST 1, 2025)

WHAT: Beginning Friday, August 1, we will be implementing a new mask policy, one that encourages store customers to wear masks seven days a week. Most staff will continue to wear store-provided KN95s, and staffers who choose not to will be required to test regularly with store-provided Covid tests.  (Staff who test positive are asked to stay home and are paid for their regularly scheduled shifts until testing negative.) The majority of in-store events will continue to be mask-required. We will provide free masks to customers and event attendees for as long as we can afford to. We strongly encourage folks to bring their own masks when shopping with us or attending one of our events. We continue to offer private shopping appointments and curbside pickup by request. 

WHY: Sustainability. Providing masks for free for the last five years has proven to be unsustainable. In the last year alone, we spent more than $11,000 on masks. When we developed our previous mask policy, we underestimated our foot traffic, y’all! We are not profitable enough to survive in an emergency, and with the current administration’s attacks, cuts, and denial of basic science, emergencies are inevitable.

We also need to acknowledge that disability is not a monolith. Some of our community members cannot mask, including many in the disability community. Others in the disability community find it impossible to understand others who are masked. 

HOW: We made this decision as a staff. Over quiche and coffee, we had yet another legendary three-hour staff meeting where we did not all agree, but we all saw that something had to change. The policy change was made through an intentional process led by our Director of People & Culture using the Stepladder Technique of group decision making. This allowed each person present to commit to providing a suggested solution before moving into the possibility ranking technique, where we weighed and discussed each suggestion with the goal of creating a solution.

WHAT NEXT: We believe it is important to invest in long-term, sustainable solutions rather than thousands of flimsy masks that are often worn improperly before being tossed in the trash. So, we’re now investing in safety measures that provide and improve layers of protection for all of us. 

We're installing an industrial air purifier in addition to the three portable ones we currently have. We've also purchased a CO2 meter and are having ceiling fans installed. We had the store’s ducts and vents professionally cleaned and committed to regular HVAC maintenance. We dream about having front windows that open – perhaps one day we’ll run a successful fundraiser for them! 

We know some of you are reading this new policy thinking, “About time. It’s 2025!” Others are reading it with a deep sense of abandonment–disappointed yet again by a business prioritizing business (know that some of our staff members have expressed feeling the same). Every person who came in over the past several years who had long Covid or was undergoing chemo and thanked us for our mask policy affirmed for us that we were practicing the core feminist tenant of intersectionality–centering the most marginalized. 

And now we have to imagine new ways to do the same work while making sure we still have doors to open. We appreciate your engagement, understanding, and grace with us as we do the hard work of being principled under capitalism aka being a feminist bookstore trying to survive.

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You can find our previous Mask Policy from July 2023 HERE. 

SAFER SPACE POLICY

Welcome to Women & Children First! Opened in 1979, Women & Children First is a feminist bookstore and operates as a feminist space.

What does that mean? It means that like other feminist spaces, we have a “Safer Space” policy. This policy is intended to make our bookstore a supportive and welcoming feminist environment for all who enter. We encourage everyone--customers, authors, presenters, volunteers, and staffers--to be proactive in building an atmosphere that is mindful of everyone’s well-being and safety. In this spirit, harassment, violence, abuse, sexual assault, and discrimination will not be tolerated.

Everyone entering Women & Children First is asked to be aware of their language and behavior, and to think about whether it might be harmful to others. We do not tolerate behavior that threatens or harms anyone on the basis of ability, age, cultural background, education, ethnicity, gender identity, immigration status, language, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, self-expression, sexual orientation, and other such factors.

By entering Women & Children First, and/or participating in Women & Children First events and activities, you agree to abide by the following guidelines:

-Be responsible for your own actions; be aware that your actions have an effect on others, which may be different from your intentions.

-Be a respectful listener and consider changing your behavior if someone tells you that you are making them feel threatened or uncomfortable.

-Respect everyone’s identity and background, including pronouns and names. Do not assume anyone’s gender identity, sexual preference, survivor status, economic status, age, background, health, etc.

-Respect everyone’s physical boundaries. 

-Be aware of your privilege and the space you take up.

We welcome the continuing conversation and improvement of this policy.

RETURNS

We want you to be happy with your purchase but understand that sometimes an item needs to be returned. Please review the return policies below and contact us with any questions.

You may return or exchange any book in its original condition for a store credit within 7 days of receiving your order, with either a receipt or gift receipt. 

Without a receipt, a return may be approved for store credit at the discretion of the staff.

ONLINE ORDERS, PREORDERS, AND SPECIAL ORDERS

Special Orders, Online Orders, and Preorders are nonrefundable and nonreturnable. 

SHIPPING

Women & Children First is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen packages.