Frequently Asked Questions

Purchasing Power is an immediate and flexible employee purchase program that helps employees stretch their budget further when facing a large expense. Employees can purchase what they need through the convenience of automated payroll deduction – when cash, access to affordable credit, or taking on additional debt are not viable options.

Founded in 2001, Purchasing Power also provides access to additional financial wellness resources, including SpringFour, which offers free access to financial assistance resources from local nonprofit organizations and government institutions, and Grocery Power, a free resource that helps customers stretch their grocery budgets through curated discounts.

Any employee who meets eligibility requirements based on tenure and salary is automatically qualified – there is no credit check. Eligible employees can register through the Purchasing Power website at any time and view our online catalog. Once registered, they will be able to shop from our assortment of more than 45,000 products and services, like computers and tablets, home appliances, tires, and even travel services.

The employee will know the total price upfront and how much will be deducted from each paycheck over a 6- or 12-month period. Orders are processed for timely shipment, and payments are deducted from the employee’s paycheck and remitted back to Purchasing Power.

No. Purchasing Power is not a discount program, and typically does not sell at a lower price than other major retailers who predominantly require upfront payment. For discount programs, purchases are made with credit or debit cards to buy products directly from such retailers.

Not designed for everyone, Purchasing Power serves those who may be under resourced and lack access to cash and affordable credit. Purchasing Power also serves employees who prefer to shop through our curated website or desire the convenience of automated payroll deduction.

We have safeguards in place to protect employees/customers from overspending, including spending limits and product price monitoring. Spending limits for employees average approximately 7%-9% of an employee’s salary.

At this time, we currently work with U.S. payroll systems only.

Employees receive messaging throughout the program that cash – if available – is the best way to make a purchase and to ensure they explore all options before making any purchase. As an example, an employee will see a pop-up on the first and third time they log into the website, making it clear we are not a discount program.

And again, employees can pay upfront or in full at any time for our products if they prefer.

No. The total product pricing includes the product and any warranties or accessories added; minus any promotional discount such as our 20% off an employees’ first purchase.

We benchmark against prevailing non-discounted retail pricing, inclusive of warranties and accessories, from leading retailers and manufacturers to ensure our overall catalog pricing is within our internal guidelines and policies.

We use various inputs to capture the market non-discounted product pricing and to conduct retail price comparisons, including the following: MSRP provided by our product suppliers/manufacturers and external price monitoring tools.

Value-add protection plans on select products include coverage for 1-3 years, require no deductible or service fees, and allow for unlimited claims. These warranties/service contracts greatly reduce any unexpected cost to the employee. Technical support is included with the protection plan for select Electronics and Large Appliance products.

Purchasing Power prices its warranties based on third-party competitive data to ensure overall alignment with our internal pricing guidelines and policies. We receive competitive warranty information from Allstate, and we review offerings from major retailers such as Best Buy.

Where a warranty is available, employees have the option of extending the warranty for an added cost.

Product warranties are part of our value to our customers, and we bundle a best-in-class warranty into many of our products, including computers, appliances, and electronics. As Total Cost of Ownership and peace of mind are foundations of the Purchasing Power program, we help to make sure that under-resourced employees avoid encountering significant unplanned out-of-pocket expenses that typically arise from the risk of product repairs or damages, and that employees have product and cost protection long after their payments have finished. These warranties greatly reduce any unexpected cost to the employee.

Warranties often help keep the Purchasing Power total price-to-retail ratio lower, as in some cases we charge less for the Allstate warranties than other retailers or offer a ‘richer’ warranty with no deductible and unlimited claims.