TJXtra!

TJXtra! is a program at the international retail corporation TJX Companies, Inc., that aims to raise awareness of available government benefits among employees, their families, and their friends. The corporation began outreach activities on government benefits in 1997, stemming from its commitment to hire individuals leaving the welfare rolls. To support its welfare hires, TJX began partnering with federal and state agencies to educate these employees about available work supports for which they remained eligible. The program brings together and disseminates information on SCHIP, food stamps, fuel assistance, volunteer tax assistance, the EITC and the advanced EITC option, and financial literacy resources that are available from state agencies and federal agencies such as Fannie Mae, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The goal of this program is to raise awareness of available government benefits among employees, their families, and their friends.

Each store and distribution center has an area set aside for TJXtra!―identified by the program's banner―where outreach materials such as posters and brochures are available to all employees. TJXtra! is also highlighted in the company newsletter. By using outreach materials available from government sources, the corporation's costs for running TJXtra! are minimal. Although it is difficult for the company to measure the exact number of employees using TJXtra!, anecdotal evidence indicates that they are using the program and the company is benefiting from improved retention.