Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Also called: Bakery Buyer, Buyer, Buying Professional, Commodity Buyer, Deli Buyer, Exporter, Fashion Buyer, Frozen Food Buyer
Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods.
What wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products do
Typical tasks
- Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
- Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
- Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
- Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.
- Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
- Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.
- Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
- Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased.
- Monitor and analyze sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns, company sales, and needed inventory.
- Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.
- Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, or style number.
- Analyze environmental aspects of competing merchandise when making buying decisions.
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products salary
No pay statistics are available for this occupation yet.
Projected pay for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
No projection yet because pay statistics are missing.
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (10-year). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products United States | マーチャンダイザー、バイヤー Japan | 商品企画開発（チェーンストア） Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | — | ¥5.58M ≈ $35,461 | ¥7.37M ≈ $46,856 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | — | ¥7.50M | ¥8.53M |
| Outlook score | 42 | 55 | 46 |
| AI replacement risk | 62% High | 54% Moderate | 69% High |
| Workers | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products
Career-path guidance is being prepared.