Associate buyer vs gold buyer

The differences between associate buyers and gold 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 associate buyer and a gold buyer. Additionally, a gold buyer has an average salary of $54,119, which is higher than the $49,963 average annual salary of an associate buyer.

The top three skills for an associate buyer include customer service, purchase orders and math. The most important skills for a gold buyer are customer service, store locations, and store operations.

Associate buyer vs gold buyer overview

	Associate Buyer	Gold Buyer
Yearly salary	$49,963	$54,119
Hourly rate	$24.02	$26.02
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	14,942	8,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Associate buyer vs gold buyer salary

Associate buyers and gold buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Buyer	Gold Buyer
Average salary	$49,963	$54,119
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $68,000	Between $35,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	VF	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between associate buyer and gold buyer education

There are a few differences between an associate buyer and a gold buyer in terms of educational background:

	Associate Buyer	Gold Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Akron

Associate buyer vs gold buyer demographics

Here are the differences between associate buyers' and gold buyers' demographics:

	Associate Buyer	Gold Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 5.7% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between associate buyer and gold buyer duties and responsibilities

Associate buyer example responsibilities.

Define and manage sales, markdowns, inventories (OTB plans) achieving financial objectives for all years in position.
Manage numerous RFP processes for the non-technology services.
Support include identifying and qualifying vendors, manage process for select RFP's and assist with bid assessments.
Work closely with planner and buyer to manage OTB and determine when to maximize business and when to protect liabilities.
Manage and develop successful relationships with top luxury watch and jewelry brands.
Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.

Gold buyer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.
List eBay items and ship as well as answering questions.
Work closely with the logistics department and internal warehouse to coordinate just in time deliveries and maintain daily inventory reconciliation.
Negotiate with jewelry vendors for product re-assortments to relive inventory and increase turn.
Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.

Associate buyer vs gold buyer skills

Common associate buyer skills

Customer Service, 16%
Purchase Orders, 15%
Math, 5%
Vendor Relations, 5%
Logistics, 3%
Market Trends, 3%

Common gold buyer skills

Customer Service, 80%
Store Locations, 8%
Store Operations, 7%
Word Processing Software, 5%

Associate Buyer vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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