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The differences between supply planners 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 supply planner and a purchasing buyer. Additionally, a supply planner has an average salary of $70,602, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing buyer.
The top three skills for a supply planner include supply chain, logistics and demand planning. The most important skills for a purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,602 | $47,471 |
| Hourly rate | $33.94 | $22.82 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 39,798 | 21,158 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A supply planner is primarily in charge of maintaining a company's inventory of supplies, ensuring all are sufficient and efficient. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring and counting the inventory, maintaining accurate records, reviewing receipts and other documentation, anticipating product demands, and liaising with vendors and suppliers. Should there be any supply emergencies or issues, one must visit manufacturers or suppliers. There may also be instances where one has to lift products and propose changes in the inventory processes.
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.
Supply planners and purchasing buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Average salary | $70,602 | $47,471 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $101,000 | Between $35,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Goleta, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Aramco Services Company |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a supply planner and a purchasing buyer in terms of educational background:
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply planners' and purchasing buyers' demographics:
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 7% |