Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

Description

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.

Tasks

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.
Confer with sales and purchasing personnel to obtain information about customer needs and preferences.
Examine, select, order, and purchase at the most favorable price merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements and other factors.
Monitor and analyze sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns and determine what the company will sell and how much inventory is needed.
Set or recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, and selling prices for merchandise.
Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
Interview and work closely with vendors to obtain and develop desired products.
Conduct staff meetings with sales personnel to introduce new merchandise.
Inspect merchandise or products to determine value or yield.
Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers or other media.
Train or supervise sales or clerical staff.
Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased.
Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, or style number.
Determine which products should be featured in advertising, the advertising medium to be used, or when the ads should be run.
Analyze environmental aspects of competing merchandise when making buying decisions.
Compare transportation options to determine the most energy efficient options.
Develop strategies to advertise green products or merchandise to consumers.
Identify opportunities to buy green commodities, such as alternative energy, water, or carbon-neutral products for resale to consumers.
Monitor consumer preferences or environmental trends to determine the best way to introduce new green products.

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Sales and Marketing: Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Economics and Accounting: Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Skills

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities

Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Work Activities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Work Context

Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled: How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Work With Work Group or Team: How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Frequency of Decision Making: How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results: How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?
Deal With External Customers: How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?

Interests

Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Work Style

Integrity: Job requires being honest and ethical.
Stress Tolerance: Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Self Control: Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation: Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Leadership: Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Analytical Thinking: Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Persistence: Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Initiative: Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Work Values

Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Relationships: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Related Occupations

Public Relations Specialists

Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Lay Titles

Art Dealer

Assistant Buyer

Assistant Merchandise Buyer

Associate Merchandise Buyer

Buy Boat Operator

Buyer

Buyer Assistant

Commodity Manager

Contracts Specialist

Fashion Buyer

Fashion Merchandiser

Fur Buyer

Gold Buyer

Head of Merchandise Buying

Importer

Importer Exporter

Internal Wholesaler

Jobber

Merchandise Buyer

Merchandise for Resale Purchasing Agent

Merchandise Planner

Merchandise Worker

Merchandiser

Merchant

Old Gold Buyer

Print Buyer

Procurement Specialist

Product Manager

Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Coordinator

Purchasing Manager

Purchasing Specialist

Purveyor

Resident Buyer

Retail Buyer

Senior Merchandise Buyer

Tie Buyer

Trader

Tradesman

Wholesale and Retail Merchant

Wholesale Buyer

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):: $24.75 hourly, $51,470 annual.

Employment (2008):: 108,670 employees