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Merchandise planner vs assistant merchandise buyer

The differences between merchandise planners and assistant merchandise buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a merchandise planner and an assistant merchandise buyer. Additionally, a merchandise planner has an average salary of $69,460, which is higher than the $52,001 average annual salary of an assistant merchandise buyer.

The top three skills for a merchandise planner include gross margin, strong analytical and math. The most important skills for an assistant merchandise buyer are apparel, kids, and purchase orders.

Merchandise planner vs assistant merchandise buyer overview

Merchandise PlannerAssistant Merchandise Buyer
Yearly salary$69,460$52,001
Hourly rate$33.39$25.00
Growth rate19%-
Number of jobs32,30119,740
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a merchandise planner do?

A merchandise planner is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of stock inventories and requesting purchase orders by researching current market trends to meet customer demands. Merchandise planners assist with marketing campaigns and promotional offers of the business, selling goods and services to the customers based on their needs and budget requirements. They also write sales reports, inspect the validity of merchandise, and maintain an attractive visual display of items. A merchandise planner resolves and escalates customer complaints timely, processes replacements, and issues refunds as needed.

What does an assistant merchandise buyer do?

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.

Merchandise planner vs assistant merchandise buyer salary

Merchandise planners and assistant merchandise buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Merchandise PlannerAssistant Merchandise Buyer
Average salary$69,460$52,001
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $102,000Between $40,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyPandoraGap Inc.
Best paying industryRetailRetail

Differences between merchandise planner and assistant merchandise buyer education

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

Merchandise PlannerAssistant Merchandise Buyer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorBusinessSpecialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Merchandise planner vs assistant merchandise buyer demographics

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

Merchandise PlannerAssistant Merchandise Buyer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 37.1% Female, 62.9%Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between merchandise planner and assistant merchandise buyer duties and responsibilities

Merchandise planner example responsibilities.

  • Monitor and analyze planned assortments by door in order to achieve plan turn goals and ROI.
  • Manage purchase order logs to ensure plan receipts and IMU requirements are maintained in the department.
  • Complete training on the JDA planning and forecasting system to effectively manage the financial aspects of each department.
  • Implement and manage the E3 auto-replenishment system to optimize inventory levels of width-size shoes, core shoes and shoe accessories.
  • Manage product flow in apparel category; determining order quantities and generating purchase orders for new and replenishment orders.
  • Manage and maintain the OTB for specific departments by preparing forecasts, evaluating performance, and maximizing profitability while minimizing liabilities.
  • Show more

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 planner vs assistant merchandise buyer skills

Common merchandise planner skills
  • Gross Margin, 8%
  • Strong Analytical, 7%
  • Math, 7%
  • Historical Data, 7%
  • Open-To-Buy, 6%
  • Apparel, 6%
Common assistant merchandise buyer skills
  • Apparel, 9%
  • Kids, 6%
  • Purchase Orders, 6%
  • Math, 6%
  • Historical Data, 5%
  • Promotional Strategies, 4%

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