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Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure Bright Outlook

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.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $77,710 Median per year · $37.36/hr Most earn $48,380–$128,870

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
  • Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.
  • Conduct sales meetings to introduce new merchandise.
  • Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
  • Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, or style number.
  • Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 47,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break this career out by industry.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Buyers usually aren't hired straight out of school. Most people spend a few years in retail sales or purchasing support first, and many start as assistant buyers. The typical training is a certificate or apprenticeship, and the usual experience before this job is about 2 to 4 years.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build math, reading, and computer skills, and get a part-time job where you handle products or customers. This gives you a foundation for purchasing work.

  2. Procurement Clerk

    1-2 years

    Handle purchase orders, vendor paperwork, and inventory records. You learn how orders, pricing, and supplier contracts work, which is the core of buying.

  3. Wholesale and Retail Buyer

    Career role (roughly 2-4 years of prior experience needed)

    Analyze sales data, pick merchandise, negotiate with suppliers, and approve payments. Assistant buyer roles are a common first step into this job.

Where it can lead

  1. Purchasing Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from buying products to managing a team of buyers, setting purchasing strategy, and handling larger supplier contracts. Strong negotiation results and leadership experience help you move up.

  2. Sales Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You shift from choosing what to buy to leading sales teams and setting sales targets. Knowing what products sell well and how customers respond gives buyers a strong start for this move.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and business or economics classesMath helps with pricing and sales numbers, and business classes teach how companies buy and sell products.
  • Get a part-time job in retail or a storeWorking the sales floor or stockroom shows you how products move from suppliers to customers.
  • Join a business club or DECA-style student groupClubs like these let you practice presenting, negotiating, and planning a product or event budget.
  • Learn spreadsheet basicsSorting, totaling, and making simple charts are everyday skills for analyzing sales and prices.
  • Volunteer to run a school fundraiser or storeChoosing items to sell, setting prices, and tracking money gives you hands-on buying experience.

In college

  • Major in business, merchandising, or supply chainThese majors teach buying, pricing, inventory, and supplier management, which are central to this job.
  • Take a statistics or data analysis courseBuyers analyze past sales and trends, so comfort with data is a big advantage.
  • Work a retail or stockroom job on campus or nearbyRetail experience builds the product knowledge and customer sense that employers look for in buyers.
  • Seek an internship in merchandising, purchasing, or retailAn internship gives you a chance to see buyers at work and build contacts who can help you find your first job.
  • Earn a spreadsheet or purchasing-related certificateCertificates in Excel or supply chain basics show employers you already know tools buyers use.

Tips for getting started

  • Get retail or stockroom experience early. Knowing how customers shop and how inventory moves is what buyers use every day.
  • Practice with spreadsheets, especially sorting and simple charts, since buyers study past sales trends and prices to decide what to order.
  • Ask a working buyer or purchasing clerk for a short informational interview. Their advice on how they got started is often more useful than a job description.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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