Purchaser vs vendor

The differences between purchasers and vendors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a vendor has an average salary of $52,533, which is higher than the $50,031 average annual salary of a purchaser.

The top three skills for a purchaser include purchase orders, FDA and POS. The most important skills for a vendor are product knowledge, customer service, and stock merchandise.

Purchaser vs vendor overview

	Purchaser	Vendor
Yearly salary	$50,031	$52,533
Hourly rate	$24.05	$25.26
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	6,852	5,341
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	48	45
Years of experience	6	-

What does a purchaser do?

A Purchaser is responsible for buying goods and services from distribution centers to sell to customers or other companies. They conduct data analysis and research current market trends to identify public demands and generate resources that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. They also ensure the adequacy of supply inventories for deliveries, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and recommend products according to their needs and budget requirements. A Purchaser must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting purchase transactions and negotiating contracts with suppliers and vendors.

What does a vendor do?

A vendor's role is to sell goods and services to individuals, business entities, and stores. It is their responsibility to maintain the supply flow of products, coordinate with business partners, and maintain positive relationships with customers to strengthen the client base. As a vendor, it is vital to ensure that the products adhere to quality standards, monitor inventory, and implement deliveries to various stores. There are also instances where a vendor must advertise products on different platforms to improve brand awareness and boost sales.

Purchaser vs vendor salary

Purchasers and vendors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchaser	Vendor
Average salary	$50,031	$52,533
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $68,000	Between $32,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Barnes Group	DoorDash
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between purchaser and vendor education

There are a few differences between a purchaser and a vendor in terms of educational background:

	Purchaser	Vendor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Purchaser vs vendor demographics

Here are the differences between purchasers' and vendors' demographics:

	Purchaser	Vendor
Average age	48	45
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between purchaser and vendor duties and responsibilities

Purchaser example responsibilities.

Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
Work extensively with customers to identify business and project requirements through RFI's, RFP's, and RFQ's.
Handle RFQ (request for quotation) and the RFB (request for bid).
Insure day to day operations run smoothly.
Operate ERP system in factory and keep the data update.
Order parts & MRO items as needed for production workers.

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Vendor example responsibilities.

Attain prime floor display space and provide point of sale (POS) signage.
Handle various tasks from cashier, managing supply and back-stock, responsible for ordering merchandise for cereal department.
Work directly with local and national retailers to negotiate sales, places orders, and manage deliveries of wine and spirits.
Operate hand-held and truck mount RF scanning guns.
Stock home depot trees and keep it looking organize.
Have also work in the depot loading bread and cake trucks overnight

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Purchaser vs vendor skills

Common purchaser skills

Purchase Orders, 38%
FDA, 7%
POS, 6%
Commodities, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Expedite, 3%

Common vendor skills

Product Knowledge, 26%
Customer Service, 26%
Stock Merchandise, 9%
Purchase Orders, 5%
End Caps, 5%
Excellent Guest, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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