Employee paid stores

Written by Justin Hoehn •Updated May 25, 2026

Employee Paid stores allow employees to place orders through the Launch by Lead Apparel platform using their own payment method at checkout.

Unlike Launch code or gift card programs, the company is not funding the order directly. Instead, employees complete their purchase using a credit card or PayPal.

Although Employee Paid stores are less common than funded Launch code programs, they can still work well in certain company environments and optional ordering scenarios.

How Employee Paid stores work

The employee shopping experience inside an Employee Paid store is very similar to any other Launch store.

Employees can:

Browse the company store
Select products
Choose sizes and quantities
Complete checkout using a credit card or PayPal

No Launch code or gift card is required.

Admins still have access to the same Launch tools and controls, including:

Product management
Launch dates
Employee lists
Shipping settings
Launch Messenger
Reporting and order visibility

This allows companies to maintain the same branded store experience even when employees are paying directly for their order.

Common use cases for Employee Paid stores

Employee Paid stores are most commonly used when:

Employees are using company-issued purchasing cards
Merchandise ordering is optional
Companies want an always-open internal merchandise store
Employees order additional merchandise beyond company-funded programs

One of the more common examples is companies using corporate purchasing cards, such as Ramp cards, where employees place orders directly while still using company-managed payment methods.

In these cases, the store technically operates as Employee Paid even though the employee is not personally covering the cost of the order.

Participation expectations

Companies should understand that participation rates are typically much lower when employees are expected to pay for company merchandise using a personal payment method.

In many cases, participation rates may range between 5–10% of invited employees, and sometimes lower depending on the products and pricing offered.

For this reason, many companies choose to subsidize all or part of the order through Launch codes instead.

Employees are generally much more likely to participate when the company contributes toward the order and premium products are available inside the store.

Shipping and ordering flexibility

Employee Paid stores still support the same shipping flexibility available throughout Launch.

Depending on how the store is configured, orders can be:

Shipped individually to employees
Grouped into office shipments
Managed through bulk or multi-office shipping workflows

This gives companies flexibility to structure ordering and fulfillment based on how their organization operates.

Why some companies still use Employee Paid stores

Although Launch codes are generally the preferred option for employee merchandise programs, Employee Paid stores can still make sense for companies that want a simple self-service ordering experience without directly funding employee purchases.

Employee Paid stores are also useful when employees:

Want to purchase additional merchandise voluntarily
Use company purchasing cards
Need ongoing access to company-branded merchandise

The best structure ultimately depends on how the company plans to manage its merchandise program internally.

Best practices

Use premium products to improve employee interest and participation
Consider Launch codes if employee participation is important
Use Employee Paid stores for optional or self-service ordering programs
Keep stores organized with clear product selections
Configure shipping methods based on how employees will receive orders

Choosing how employees pay
Launch codes vs Gift cards
Launch codes for onboarding programs
Individual shipments
Multiple office shipments