CCollegeMatcher

Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products

US occupation · SOC 13-1022

Job titles people report: Bakery Buyer, Buyer, Deli Buyer, Frozen Food Buyer, Gourmet Food Buyer, Grocery Buyer, Purchaser, Retail Buyer, Wine Buyer

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$77,710
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$60,800 – $100,820
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
491,430
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
+6%
At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
Openings a year (projected)
47,200
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
Bachelor's degree
BLS

BLS publishes one wage and employment figure for buyers and purchasing agents combined (code 13-1020). The pay and employment figures above are for that whole group, not for wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products alone. So is the projection.

  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Main tasks

  • Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
  • Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
  • Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
  • Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.
  • Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
  • Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.
  • Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
  • Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
Bachelor's degree
Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
O*NET Job Zone 3
Medium preparation
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Enterprising: leading, persuading and making business decisions
  • Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
  • Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 7 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Business

  • Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General
  • Merchandising and Buying Operations
  • General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other
  • Fashion Merchandising
  • Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Business at the Major step.

Where many students take business

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Other fields

Our college matcher doesn't offer these fields as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for them here.

Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services

  • Wine Steward/Sommelier

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences

  • Apparel and Textile Marketing Management

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk