52 Companies with the Best Employee Discounts

April 3, 2020

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Being a student in college can be a financially challenging time. Textbooks, tuition, groceries and housing are all expenses that can add up quickly. One way students pay off some of these costs is by landing a part-time job.

When deciding on a part-time job, it’s important to consider several factors, including hourly pay, schedule flexibility and the work environment. However, there’s one major factor that many students might be overlooking: their employee discount.

From free gym memberships to discounted groceries, employee discounts can make a huge difference in how much money you can save as a college student.

To help decide where you want to apply to work, check out this full guide of major employee discounts you can receive as a college student working part-time.

Employee Discounts at Grocery Stores

Along with the student discounts most grocery stores offer for their customers, grocery stores also provide great deals for their employees.

Working at a grocery store can really help college students rack up the savings on their meal prepping and snacking needs, making a cashier or bagger job a pretty lucrative position. To give you a better idea of where to work for a good deal, the list below highlights discounts at most major chains across the country.

Albertsons: Employees at Albertsons get 10% off store-branded products. For more of a discount, check out these Albertsons coupons.
Costco: If you work at Costco, you don’t receive a discount, but get a free membership card instead.
H-E-B: A perk of working at H-E-B is that employees get 10% off of any H-E-B brand products.
Kroger: Associates at Kroger get a 10% discount on all Kroger-branded products.
Safeway: At Safeway, members get 10% off any Safeway products, as well as 5% off non-Safeway products.
Sam’s Club: Just like Costco, Sam’s Club gives its employees a free membership card to their store rather than a specific discount.
Sprouts Farmers Market: At Sprouts, employees receive 15% off of their organic and natural grocery items.
Target: With some locations having a grocery section, Target’s employees get 10% in-store and online non-produce items. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, they get 20% off.
Trader Joe’s: This beloved grocery chain offers competitive benefits for their crew members. All employees can take advantage of 10% off the entire store, medical benefits, bi-annual raise opportunities as well as a retirement plan (not to mention all the free product-sample tastings).
Walmart: The store offers 10% off for its employees, whether you shop online or in-store. To lower the cost at Walmart further, take a look at these Walmart coupons.
Whole Foods Market: The grocery store offers 20% of all store purchases for employees. If they work there for more than six months, sometimes they bump the discount up to 30% off.

Employee Discounts at Retailers

From interviews to game days, college is filled with events that require dressing up. Thankfully, there are many retailers that give college students great employee discounts when buying their own products. And with retailers ranging from sportswear to up-scale clothing, college students of all kinds are sure to find the gig (and accompanying discount) that’s right for them.

Abercrombie & Fitch: At A&F, part-time employees receive 30% off and full-time employees receive 40% off all items.
Academy Sports + Outdoors: 20% off is given to employees of Academy. For further savings, check out these Academy promotional codes.
American Eagle: Employees receive a 40% discount for normally priced items. For an extra discount, check out these American Eagle coupons.
Apple: With the Apple Support College Advisor position, employees receive 25% off Apple products.
Athleta: The employee discount given at Athleta is 50% off all full-priced items at Athleta, The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Check out these Athleta coupons for additional savings!
Express: At Express, employees receive a 40% discount on all merchandise, including sale items.
Gap: Employees get a 50% discount at all Gap-owned stores, including Banana Republic and Old Navy.
H&M: The employee discount at H&M is 25% off all items at the clothing store.
Hallmark: The store provides a 30% discount in-store, and 10% off any sale item.
Lush: The company gives store employees a 50% discount on all of Lush’s handmade products.
PacSun: The clothing brand discounts its items at 50% for all employees.
Topshop: The clothing company gives a 60% discount under their employee clothing allowance, and 25% all other products.
Urban Outfitters: 40% off is given to employees of Urban Outfitters, and they can also use the discount at Anthropologie and Free People as well.
Zara: At Zara, staff members get 25% off of all items, in-store or online.

Employee Discounts at Restaurants

Restaurants have several roles perfect for college students, including serving, cooking and hosting. But no matter the restaurant job college students take on, the benefits tend to stay the same.

Some restaurants offer free meals, whereas others give employees a 50% discount on meals purchased while on the clock. From fast food restaurants to dine-in chains, the list below provides all the restaurant employee discounts that students can take advantage of to help fill their bank accounts and their stomachs.

Arby’s: Hourly employees get 50% off all menu items bought during work hours (including right before and after a shift).
Buffalo Wild Wings: When working, Buffalo Wild Wings servers get 50% off food, and 25% off a meal item when not working.
The Cheesecake Factory: For hourly staff at The Cheesecake Factory, all food is 25% off.
Chick-fil-A: Along with getting a free meal during work, Chick-fil-A offers a 50% discount on food when employees are not on the clock.
Chili’s: The 50% discount that employees at Chili’s get also works on the overall total for a group of four.
Chipotle: Employees receive a free meal during work hours, and 50% off when not working.
Domino’s: Although the discount varies between each franchise, a typical discount is 50% off all menu items.
Dunkin’ Donuts: If you’re a coffee fanatic, Dunkin’ Donuts gives free coffee to all employees as well as pastry items.
Einstein Bros. Bagels: Free coffee and bagels are the perks of working at Einstein Bros. Bagels.
McDonald’s: Working at McDonald’s, employees get 50% off of any full meal each day.
Panera Bread: Employees, their friends and their family all get 65% off menu items.
Pizza Hut: Employees get 20% off of all food items at Pizza Hut.
Smashburger: Smashburger employees get 50% off of all food items on the days they have a shift.
Sonic: Employees typically get 50% off everything, although the discount can change depending on the location.
Starbucks: The coffee franchise gives its employees 30% off and a free drink of choice on the clock.
Zoes Kitchen: Zoes Kitchen gives employees $10 off anything on the menu during each shift.

Miscellaneous Employee Discounts

From gyms to pet stores, the miscellaneous category includes various establishments that offer a more unique experience for their customers and employees.

The majority of places mentioned below sell a service rather than a specific product, which typically allows you to receive that service for free as an employee. Depending on the activities that are important to you, the list below includes several different companies to consider.

24 Hour Fitness: Working part-time at a 24 Hour Fitness gym provides employees with a free membership to its facilities.
Barnes & Noble: With non-sale items, Barnes & Noble gives employees 30% off all books and 20% off music items.
Cost Plus World Market: Employees at World Market get 20% off of everything. There are also plenty of World Market discounts for additional savings at the store.
CVS Pharmacy: All employees receive 10% off all products and services the drugstore offers. For additional savings, check out more CVS discounts.
Drybar: For free blowouts and 50% off of hair products, consider getting a job at Drybar.
Hilton: Working at the Hilton has various benefits depending on the season, but employees can get a room as low as $35 a night.
LA Fitness: A free membership comes with a job at the LA fitness gym.
Life Time Fitness: Just like the gyms mentioned above, Life Time Fitness gives part-time employees a free membership to use any of its facilities.
Petco: Employees at Petco get 20% to 50% off of products and services, depending on what the products are.
PetSmart: Associates that work at PetSmart get 15% off of their products and services.
The Container Store: Offering organizational products, the Container Store gives all employees 40% off its products.
Walgreens: Working at Walgreens gives you 15% off of most items, and 25% off of Walgreens-specific items.

Saving money with discounts and coupons is especially helpful to people going through college with little in their bank accounts.

By looking for a job where their employee discount could be really beneficial to their lifestyle, college students can make some extra money and take advantage of great savings in one fell swoop.

In the long term as a college student, the money you save through work can go towards your textbooks, tuition or the well-deserved spring break vacation that you’ve been needing to go on. For additional savings, check out our crowd-sourced coupon codes at stores you use regularly, like from Amazon, for discounted deals.

We hope that you found this blog helpful. Our content is not intended to provide business, employment, or financial advice. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, consider talking with a qualified professional. Capital One Shopping does not endorse or guarantee any information or recommendation listed above.