Wholesale & Retail Buyers

Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods. Analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of merchandise to determine value and yield. Select, order, and authorize payment for merchandise according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. May negotiate contracts. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.

On the job, you would:

Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		87%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		84%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		84%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		79%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		79%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		77%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		76%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		73%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		71%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		71%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		70%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		70%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		68%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		68%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		67%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
		65%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		100%	Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
		78%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		75%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		69%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		69%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		66%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		66%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
		63%	Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
		63%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		56%	Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
		56%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		56%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
		53%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		53%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		57%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
		57%	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
		57%	Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
		57%	Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
		55%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		55%	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
		55%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
		55%	Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
		54%	Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices.

Evaluate logistics methods to reduce environmental impact.

Develop business or market strategies.

Identify strategic business investment opportunities.

Analyze consumer trends.

Purchase stocks of merchandise or supplies.

Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.

Purchase products or services.

Determine the value of goods or services.

Advise others on business or operational matters.

Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.

Obtain information about goods or services.

Determine the value of goods or services.

Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.

Analyze market conditions or trends.

Analyze consumer trends.

Authorize financial actions.

Disburse funds from clients accounts to creditors.

Discuss business strategies, practices, or policies with managers.

Train personnel to enhance job skills.

Supervise employees.

Provide information to coworkers.

Create marketing materials.

Analyze market conditions or trends.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		100%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		100%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		100%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		96%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		94%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		88%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		86%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		85%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		82%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		81%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		78%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		76%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		75%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		75%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		71%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		71%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		68%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		68%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
		64%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		60%	Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
		60%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
		57%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
		55%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
		54%	Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable?
		92%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		81%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		76%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		75%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		73%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		70%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		69%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		69%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		67%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		66%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		66%	Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
		65%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		64%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
		62%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
		61%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
		57%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		57%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
		56%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
		55%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		55%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Getting Started

Education:

35%

Bachelor's Degree

20%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Wholesale & Retail Buyers

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started