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The differences between senior merchandise buyers and senior purchasing managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior merchandise buyer, becoming a senior purchasing manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior purchasing manager has an average salary of $109,837, which is higher than the $55,140 average annual salary of a senior merchandise buyer.
The top three skills for a senior merchandise buyer include market trends, trade shows and product development. The most important skills for a senior purchasing manager are supply chain, purchase orders, and logistics.
| Senior Merchandise Buyer | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $55,140 | $109,837 |
| Hourly rate | $26.51 | $52.81 |
| Growth rate | - | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,693 | 19,183 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Senior merchandise buyers and senior purchasing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Merchandise Buyer | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Average salary | $55,140 | $109,837 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $76,000 | Between $79,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Tonix Pharmaceuticals |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior merchandise buyer and a senior purchasing manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Merchandise Buyer | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Akron | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior merchandise buyers' and senior purchasing managers' demographics:
| Senior Merchandise Buyer | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |