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Buyer vs assistant buyer

The differences between buyers and assistant buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a buyer and an assistant buyer. Additionally, a buyer has an average salary of $54,049, which is higher than the $49,586 average annual salary of an assistant buyer.

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

Buyer vs assistant buyer overview

BuyerAssistant Buyer
Yearly salary$54,049$49,586
Hourly rate$25.99$23.84
Growth rate--
Number of jobs23,58915,090
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a buyer do?

A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.

What does an assistant buyer do?

An assistant buyer participates and assists in the procurement procedures in a retail company. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around selecting products according to company guidelines, handling and organizing purchase orders, and monitoring the budget. An assistant buyer may also have administrative support tasks such as responding to calls and correspondence, preparing paperwork and progress reports, arranging schedules, keeping records of invoices and inventory, and staying updated with trends. Furthermore, an assistant buyer must reach out to new suppliers and engage with vendors to maintain and establish a positive business relationship.

Buyer vs assistant buyer salary

Buyers and assistant buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

BuyerAssistant Buyer
Average salary$54,049$49,586
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $76,000Between $36,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityEnglewood, NJNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companyNVIDIAFashion Nova
Best paying industryAutomotiveManufacturing

Differences between buyer and assistant buyer education

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

BuyerAssistant Buyer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - BakersfieldUniversity of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Buyer vs assistant buyer demographics

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

BuyerAssistant Buyer
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 43.9% Female, 56.1%Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 6.6% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage15%15%

Differences between buyer and assistant buyer duties and responsibilities

Buyer example responsibilities.

  • Achieve QA initiatives by increasing transparency and communication with multiple departments and suppliers to achieve daily/weekly/monthly production requirements and expedites.
  • Manage all incoming RMA equipment, processing and directing to correct locations and departments.
  • Create, analyze and manage recaps pertaining to inventory, trends, OTB, and markdowns.
  • Manage KanBan spreadsheets to optimize inventory levels and supplier performance.
  • Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.
  • Manage MRB and IQA escalations to facilitate defective material resolutions.
    • Show more

Assistant 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.
  • Inspect, grade and appraise agricultural commodities, durable goods, and merchandise for sale.
  • Train employees on POS system to keep accurate sales, inventory levels, and employee hours.
  • Collaborate with DMM and GMM to complete accurate financial strategy to be sign off by CEO.
  • Partner with advertising to execute POS and brand driven events through mailers, email blasts and marketing.
  • Analyze product trends and historical data at classification level; review IMU, AUR and penetration variances.
    • Show more

Buyer vs assistant buyer skills

Common buyer skills
  • Purchase Orders, 22%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Supplier Performance, 4%
  • MRP, 4%
  • Commodities, 3%
Common assistant buyer skills
  • Purchase Orders, 16%
  • Vendor Relations, 10%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • Apparel, 4%
  • Open-To-Buy, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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