Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products Onet SOC Code 13-1022.00 Career 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. Related Clusters: Business, Management, and Administration Marketing, Sales & Service

Career Summary:

• Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers and other media.
• Examine, select, order, and purchase at the most favorable price merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements and other factors.
• Negotiate prices, discount terms and transportation arrangements for merchandise.
• Analyze and monitor sales records, trends and economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns and determine what the company will sell and how much inventory is needed.
• Interview and work closely with vendors to obtain and develop desired products.
• Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
• Inspect merchandise or products to determine value or yield.
• Set or recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, and selling prices for merchandise.
• Confer with sales and purchasing personnel to obtain information about customer needs and preferences.
• Consult with store or merchandise managers about budget and goods to be purchased.
• Conduct staff meetings with sales personnel to introduce new merchandise.
• Manage the department for which they buy.
• Use computers to organize and locate inventory, and operate spreadsheet and word processing software.
• Train and supervise sales and clerical staff.
• Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, and style number.
• Determine which products should be featured in advertising, the advertising medium to be used, and when the ads should be run.

• 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.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

• The minimum educational requirement for a buyer is a high school diploma; however, most employers prefer hiring a college graduate. Persons who are interested in this field should be good at planning and decision making. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Marketing Standards online. College courses that are considered helpful are merchandising, business administration, and marketing. Past experience in selling -- even part-time while in school -- provides excellent training and is looked upon favorably by employers.

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• 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.
• Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• 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.
• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness

• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Advancement - Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Variety - Workers on this job have something different to do every day.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.
• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - 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.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Creativity - Workers on this job try out their own ideas.
• Recognition-Mean Extent - 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.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Relationships-Mean Extent - 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.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website