Retail buyer vs wholesale buyer

The differences between retail buyers and wholesale 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 retail buyer and a wholesale buyer. Additionally, a wholesale buyer has an average salary of $55,762, which is higher than the $52,720 average annual salary of a retail buyer.

The top three skills for a retail buyer include gross margin, vendor relations and customer service. The most important skills for a wholesale buyer are wholesale purchase, market trends, and retail sales.

Retail buyer vs wholesale buyer overview

	Retail Buyer	Wholesale Buyer
Yearly salary	$52,720	$55,762
Hourly rate	$25.35	$26.81
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	74,254	14,580
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Retail buyer vs wholesale buyer salary

Retail buyers and wholesale buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Retail Buyer	Wholesale Buyer
Average salary	$52,720	$55,762
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $39,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Edison, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	VF	Outdoor Specialty Products
Best paying industry	Start-up	Hospitality

Differences between retail buyer and wholesale buyer education

There are a few differences between a retail buyer and a wholesale buyer in terms of educational background:

	Retail Buyer	Wholesale Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Akron	University of Akron

Retail buyer vs wholesale buyer demographics

Here are the differences between retail buyers' and wholesale buyers' demographics:

	Retail Buyer	Wholesale Buyer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 63.3% 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 retail buyer and wholesale buyer duties and responsibilities

Retail buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the open-to-buy (OTB) process by monitoring stock levels
Lead team of content support/merchandisers to achieve and consistently hit KPI goals.
Manage set up of new items as well as integration into POS system.
Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Key member of development team that implement JDA MMS software.
Maintain inventory and displays for jewelry and bath/body products.

Wholesale buyer example responsibilities.

Coordinate and provide direction to inventory teams by managing product placement, open-to-buy, and logistics.
Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
Originate BOM structure for production operations.

Retail buyer vs wholesale buyer skills

Common retail buyer skills

Gross Margin, 8%
Vendor Relations, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Retail Management, 7%
Retail Store, 6%
Market Trends, 6%

Common wholesale buyer skills

Wholesale Purchase, 64%
Market Trends, 20%
Retail Sales, 16%

Retail Buyer vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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