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The differences between shoppers and purchasers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a purchaser has an average salary of $50,031, which is higher than the $36,631 average annual salary of a shopper.
The top three skills for a shopper include groceries, grocery store and customer orders. The most important skills for a purchaser are purchase orders, FDA, and POS.
| Shopper | Purchaser | |
| Yearly salary | $36,631 | $50,031 |
| Hourly rate | $17.61 | $24.05 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 420,518 | 6,852 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 40 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A shopper is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing goods and services, advising them of the best products according to their needs and budget limitations. Shoppers should have excellent knowledge of the current industry trends to be an effective consultant of their clients, processing orders and payments, and set delivery schedules. They also handle product replacements or refunds as needed, coordinating with sellers for complaints made by the client. A shopper must be highly communicative and organizational, understanding client requirements, and developing selling techniques.
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.
Shoppers and purchasers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shopper | Purchaser | |
| Average salary | $36,631 | $50,031 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $36,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Atlantic City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Reckitt Benckiser | Barnes Group |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a shopper and a purchaser in terms of educational background:
| Shopper | Purchaser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between shoppers' and purchasers' demographics:
| Shopper | Purchaser | |
| Average age | 40 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |