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Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products Occupation Detailed Description

Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

The main tasks and work activities of Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products are to analyze consumer trends, analyze market conditions or trends, disburse funds from clients accounts to creditors, authorize financial actions. In general, for the Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products, negotiation, speaking, active Listening, persuasion and other 16 skills are required.
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products jobs. 20.30% of Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 10.30% of Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
13.92%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
20.30%
Post-Secondary Certificate
10.30%
Some College Courses
8.21%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
11.43%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
35.84%

Tasks and Work Activities of Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

  • 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.
  • Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
  • Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased.
  • Train or supervise sales or clerical staff.
  • 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.
  • Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers or other media.
  • 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.
  • Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
  • Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
  • Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.
  • Recommend mark-up rates, markdown rates, or merchandise selling prices.
  • Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.
  • Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.
  • Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
  • Conduct sales meetings to introduce new merchandise.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating 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.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Monitoring and Controlling ResourcesMonitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
  • Analyze consumer trends.
  • Analyze market conditions or trends.
  • Disburse funds from clients accounts to creditors.
  • Authorize financial actions.
  • Discuss business strategies, practices, or policies with managers.
  • Supervise employees.
  • Train personnel to enhance job skills.
  • Create marketing materials.
  • Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices.
  • Evaluate logistics methods to reduce environmental impact.
  • Develop business or market strategies.
  • Identify strategic business investment opportunities.
  • Purchase stocks of merchandise or supplies.
  • Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.
  • Purchase products or services.
  • Advise others on business or operational matters.
  • Determine the value of goods or services.
  • Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.
  • Obtain information about goods or services.

Skills and Abilities for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active ListeningGiving 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.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Management of Financial ResourcesDetermining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
  • MathematicsUsing mathematics to solve problems.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem SensitivityThe 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.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Mathematical ReasoningThe ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Number FacilityThe ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Desktop calculatore.g. 10-key calculators
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Point of sale POS terminale.g. Point of sale POS systems
  • Sales and MarketingKnowledge 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 ServiceKnowledge 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.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Economics and AccountingKnowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.