6 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
A buyer spends much of the day looking at sales numbers and stock levels in Excel. You open the weekly trading report, check which styles sold, which sizes are low, and mark slow sellers.
Then you use those numbers to plan what to reorder, what to discount, and what to stop buying. That analysis guides meetings with merchandising, the store team, and buyers who cover other categories.
Start by learning Excel well — formulas, pivot tables, and simple charts — because buyers use it to read sales and plan buys. Get an entry job in retail: sales floor, replenishment, or as an assistant in a buying team.
Volunteer to help with stock counts, small ordering or market research. Go to trade events and small wholesale shows to learn brands and practice talking to vendors.
You will use Excel and weekly trading reports that show units sold, sell-through rate (percent sold of stock), and current inventory by SKU (stock keeping unit).
Buyers also use emails and shared spreadsheets to track orders, and sometimes simple purchasing tools tied to suppliers, but Excel is the central system for analysis.
A buyer decides what to buy and negotiates with suppliers. A merchandiser plans how to present and price that stock in stores. There’s overlap: both read sales data and trends.
In small companies one person often does both roles. In larger retailers they’re separate: the buyer focuses on supplier deals and ranges; the merchandiser focuses on allocation, display, and pricing.
Watch sell-through rate (aim for the company target, often 30–60% depending on category), current weeks of cover (how many weeks current stock will last at current sales), and size or color gaps. Slow sell-through and high weeks of cover signal overstock.
Flag SKUs with drop in sell-through for markdown or stop-replenish decisions, and raise orders for fast-moving SKUs to avoid out-of-stocks.
Go with a clear brief based on your sales data: categories you need, price points, and missing styles or sizes. At the show, note exact supplier names, minimum order quantities, lead times, and sample quality.
Take photos, get line sheets with SKU codes and wholesale prices, then compare to your Excel analysis before you negotiate. Don’t buy on impulse — use the data to decide.
Both matter, but building and keeping vendor relationships is slightly more valuable long-term. Good relationships get you better lead times, flexibility on minimum orders, and problem fixes if stock is late.
Negotiation is used during ordering, but you negotiate from a place of trust and history. Keep suppliers informed with clear forecasts and regular performance reviews backed by sales reports.