Purchasing assistant vs purchasing buyer

The differences between purchasing assistants and purchasing buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchasing assistant and a purchasing buyer. Additionally, a purchasing buyer has an average salary of $47,471, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.

The top three skills for a purchasing assistant include purchase orders, purchase requisitions and customer service. The most important skills for a purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.

Purchasing assistant vs purchasing buyer overview

	Purchasing Assistant	Purchasing Buyer
Yearly salary	$38,331	$47,471
Hourly rate	$18.43	$22.82
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	8,415	21,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing assistant do?

A purchasing assistant is responsible for obtaining raw materials and goods for a business or company. They primarily function to assist purchasing managers or supervisors by keeping records, maintaining inventory, reviewing purchase orders, and monitoring shipments and deliveries. Furthermore, a purchasing assistant may perform administrative support tasks ranging from arranging appointments and managing schedules, answering calls and inquiries, reaching out to vendors and suppliers, producing reports, and coordinating with various departments to ensure the smooth flow of products within the company.

What does a purchasing buyer do?

In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.

Purchasing assistant vs purchasing buyer salary

Purchasing assistants and purchasing buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Assistant	Purchasing Buyer
Average salary	$38,331	$47,471
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Goleta, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Aramco Services Company
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between purchasing assistant and purchasing buyer education

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

	Purchasing Assistant	Purchasing Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing assistant vs purchasing buyer demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing assistants' and purchasing buyers' demographics:

	Purchasing Assistant	Purchasing Buyer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%	Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing assistant and purchasing buyer duties and responsibilities

Purchasing assistant example responsibilities.

Manage RFP process and play a key role in minimizing the cost of printing.
Schedule and manage new product trials, liaise with vendors, surgeons and specialty coordinators.
Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
Master point of service (POS) computer system for automate order taking.
Input of purchase orders into ERP system, order acknowledgments, follow-up, and expedition of orders.
Prepare purchase orders using MRP, inspect incoming shipments for quality, and attend press checks for production approval.

Purchasing buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the development of RFP process per departmental and legal requirements.
Create and manage requisitions, code billing statements and reconcile monthly bills in PeopleSoft.
Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
Complete request for quotation (RFQ), design reviews, and advance product quality planning (APQP).
Used MRP to track and develop orders for electronic and mechanical commodities for high volume 32,000 a day unit product.
Make purchasing decisions base on the examination and recommendations of the ERP planning system and issuing and maintaining supplier purchase orders.

Purchasing assistant vs purchasing buyer skills

Common purchasing assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Purchase Requisitions, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Logistics, 3%
POS, 2%

Common purchasing buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 29%
Logistics, 6%
Cost Savings, 5%
ERP, 4%
MRP, 4%
RFQ, 4%

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Purchasing Assistant
Purchasing Assistant vs Purchasing Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

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