Back in the day, most major employers during the Industrial Revolution operated an employee store where workers were able to buy the dry goods they needed. The company kept track of each purchase and deducted the cost of items from the workers’ paychecks.

This system worked well for years, with some companies continuing to have different types of stores for their employees well into the 20th century. However, the consumerization of credit in the mid-20th century gave people another source of access to goods with more choices – and company stores withered.

Unfortunately, the pendulum went too far, and now the average borrower has close to $5,000 in credit card debt.

With the thought in mind of creating a program that promotes financial wellness and provides an alternative form of payment to employees, Workpays.me was born. The employee store needed a comeback in a more efficient and responsible way so employees did not get stuck with credit card debt, payday loans or visits from loan sharks.

Workpays.me helps offset the traditional HR benefit costs for employers and provides an alternative form of payment to employees. The program offers employers the ability to open their own online company store that gives their employees access to more than 50,000 name-brand quality items. There is no interest, fees or credit check involved with the program. Items bought are sent out within seven business days with free shipping, and the only method of payment is through flexible deductions directly from each participating employee’s paycheck over a specified amount of time.

The program promotes financial wellness by helping employees budget for extra expenses when they don’t have cash on hand. Every employee is assigned a shopping limit based on salary and garnishments to ensure responsible spending through manageable paycheck deductions.

A percentage of all proceeds collected by Workpays.me is used to help fund one or more Workpays.me programs, including charitable donation, wellness programs, retirement accounts and scholarship/education funding for employees and their families.