Retail Buyer

All those products lined up in the automotive, clothing, and department stores don’t walk in all by themselves. In fact, they make a long journey from the idea stage through manufacturing before they even become available for purchase. At that point, the Wholesale Buyer buys large quantities and has them delivered to wholesalers. Once there, Retail Buyers make purchases for retail stores, which sell those products directly to customers.

Of course, as a Retail Buyer, you buy from a variety of suppliers, not all of which are wholesalers. For example, you might buy products from a manufacturer that go directly onto a website for consumer purchase. You attend several trade shows each year, some of which might be in other parts of the world. These shows allow you to see what products are new on the market, learn more about them, and connect with suppliers.

A job as a Retail Buyer means being a Market Analyst and using your Fortune Teller skills to anticipate what the consumer will want. You might be ordering fashion that will stock the shelves more than a year into the future, so if you make a bad guess, the clothing store will be clearancing racks of lime-green paisley sweaters.

Although a large part of your job is locating hot products, you also build relationships with suppliers. You use your knowledge of the market to negotiate quantity, price, and quality specifications. Then, you’re rewarded when your products are the Christmas sensation of the year!