Assistant merchandise buyer vs merchandise buyer

The differences between assistant merchandise buyers and merchandise buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant merchandise buyer, becoming a merchandise buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, an assistant merchandise buyer has an average salary of $52,001, which is higher than the $49,264 average annual salary of a merchandise buyer.

The top three skills for an assistant merchandise buyer include apparel, kids and purchase orders. The most important skills for a merchandise buyer are vendor relations, purchase orders, and customer service.

Assistant merchandise buyer vs merchandise buyer overview

	Assistant Merchandise Buyer	Merchandise Buyer
Yearly salary	$52,001	$49,264
Hourly rate	$25.00	$23.68
Growth rate	-	19%
Number of jobs	19,740	22,291
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	-

Assistant merchandise buyer vs merchandise buyer salary

Assistant merchandise buyers and merchandise buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Merchandise Buyer	Merchandise Buyer
Average salary	$52,001	$49,264
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $66,000	Between $37,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fairview, NJ
Highest paying state	Alaska	New Jersey
Best paying company	Gap Inc.	Bob's Discount Furniture
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between assistant merchandise buyer and merchandise buyer education

There are a few differences between an assistant merchandise buyer and a merchandise buyer in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Merchandise Buyer	Merchandise Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Specialized Sales And Merchandising	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Assistant merchandise buyer vs merchandise buyer demographics

Here are the differences between assistant merchandise buyers' and merchandise buyers' demographics:

	Assistant Merchandise Buyer	Merchandise Buyer
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9%	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 5.9% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between assistant merchandise buyer and merchandise buyer duties and responsibilities

Assistant merchandise buyer example responsibilities.

Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Partner with site merchandiser to execute sales and POS events.
Work closely with the logistics department and internal warehouse to coordinate just in time deliveries and maintain daily inventory reconciliation.
Verify store numbers, vendor files, UPCS, descriptions and size information against AS400 information.

Merchandise buyer example responsibilities.

Prepare the merchandise assortment plan for the company, manage the OTB and purchase the merchandise.
Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Perform allocations pulls in JDA program on inbound shipments and back-stock merchandise from distribution centers.
Assist in implementing the POS system and develop pricing policies.
Enter data into the appropriate POS systems and create new identifications for new product purchases.
Create open to buy, allocation buying, pricing, and direct the visual presentation of all apparel.

Assistant merchandise buyer vs merchandise buyer skills

Common assistant merchandise buyer skills

Apparel, 9%
Kids, 6%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Math, 6%
Historical Data, 5%
Promotional Strategies, 4%

Common merchandise buyer skills

Vendor Relations, 14%
Purchase Orders, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Apparel, 6%
Trade Shows, 5%
Product Categories, 4%

Assistant Merchandise Buyer vs. similar jobs

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Business and Financial Industry
Assistant Merchandise Buyer
Assistant Merchandise Buyer vs Merchandise Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

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