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Wholesale & Retail Buyers

Also called: Buyer, Trader, Mechandiser, Procurement Specialist

What they do:
Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.
On the job, you would:
  • Use computers to organize and locate inventory, and operate spreadsheet and word processing software.
  • Negotiate prices, discount terms and transportation arrangements for merchandise.
  • Manage the department for which they buy.

Knowledge

Business
  • customer service
  • management
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
  • manufacture and distribution of products
Math and Science
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Skills

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others
Social
  • bringing people together to solve differences
  • talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say
Math
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Integrity
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Self Control
  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Leadership

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Point of sale POS software
  • Millennium Software Atrex
  • Plexis Software Plexis POS
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Biztrak Business Solutions Biztrak
  • JDA Software Group Assortment Planning by Arthur
Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
  • Infor Supply Chain Management
  • Kliger-Weiss Infosystems software

Education

Education: (rated 3 of 5)
some college or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training Find Certifications Eligible for the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program

Job Outlook

Below Average Outlook
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
Salary
$50,490
per year, on average
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Green
This work is part of the green economy.

Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about wholesale and retail buyers.