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Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

People classed as Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. The skills rated most useful are negotiation, critical thinking, and speaking. Expect to negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers. On the six-type interest model it reads ECR, meaning leading, persuading and making business decisions comes first, followed by orderly work with data, records and clear procedures. Getting in usually takes one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree, a level O*NET calls medium preparation. It tends to suit people who want leading, persuading and making business decisions, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.

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. May negotiate contracts. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.

Main tasks

  • Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
  • Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
  • Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
  • Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.
  • Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
  • Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.

Skills

  • Negotiation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Persuasion
  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on negotiation and critical thinking.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.6 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECR takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Also called

  • Bakery Buyer
  • Buyer
  • Deli Buyer
  • Frozen Food Buyer
  • Gourmet Food Buyer

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.