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The differences between assistant merchandise buyers and retail buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant merchandise buyer and a retail buyer. Additionally, a retail buyer has an average salary of $52,720, which is higher than the $52,001 average annual salary of an assistant merchandise buyer.
The top three skills for an assistant merchandise buyer include apparel, kids and purchase orders. The most important skills for a retail buyer are gross margin, vendor relations, and customer service.
| Assistant Merchandise Buyer | Retail Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $52,001 | $52,720 |
| Hourly rate | $25.00 | $25.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 19,740 | 74,254 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Assistant merchandise buyers are skilled employees who are responsible for assisting other buyers and managers in purchasing products and maintaining the inventory of their store. These buyers must maintain positive relationships with vendors so that they can negotiate product specifications and prices of merchandise. They must prepare budgets and purchase orders so that they can purchase items and ensure on-time delivery of goods. Assistant merchandise buyers must also perform forecasts on their purchasing trends while compiling reports on the performance and statistics of their existing products.
A retail buyer keeps accurate stock records so that they can purchase only necessary items for resale. They work within a specific budget and solve all the issues that arise with the supplier or merchandise. Besides determining contract terms and conditions, retail buyers also modify purchase orders as per the demand, availability, and season. Moreover, retail buyers choose the perfect merchandise to purchase by reviewing the catalogs. Furthermore, they locate, select, and procure merchandise for resale.
Assistant merchandise buyers and retail buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Merchandise Buyer | Retail Buyer | |
| Average salary | $52,001 | $52,720 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $66,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Edison, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Gap Inc. | VF |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an assistant merchandise buyer and a retail buyer in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Merchandise Buyer | Retail Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Akron |
Here are the differences between assistant merchandise buyers' and retail buyers' demographics:
| Assistant Merchandise Buyer | Retail Buyer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9% | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% |
| 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, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |