Becoming a Buyer?

[pout306]

^fashion merchandising

the math thing is handled by a planner coz he do the allocations and stuff
so thats alot of analysis and numbers

In many cases though the buyer also deals with the mathematical aspects of it

 

[Cicciolina]

Yes a strong understanding of maths will help a lot I think. I just posted that recent article - they talk about how in the past buyers just went with a gut feeling, now it's based on trends and analysis so they get it all right. It's not just about if they want to order in dresses or pants this season, but how many of each size, how are they going to distribute it through the stores, etc.

 

[bluespring]

^it depends in what company you work
if its a specialty boutique, lesser numbers you have to dealt with

departments store is some serious ****, macys, saks, nordstrom, bloomies all order thousands units and they have crazy purchase order templates

in all honesty the math thing is pretty basic, excel spreadsheets and running a report on a retail management software but i met alot of clueless interns who can't even work with excel properly

the best thing to get into buying position is to intern for one
i knew alot of buyers getting the position this way

 

[Cicciolina]

bluespring can you recommend any places where one can intern? Or where you interned at maybe?

 

[KindlyCuddly]

i've heard fashion merchandising is alot different to buying.

Most fashion merchandising classes include courses in buying and retail math and such.

 

[bluespring]

bluespring can you recommend any places where one can intern? Or where you interned at maybe?

you should intern for a company that you like, just send your resume
if your based in nyc much easier most of the corporate office are based here

 

[Cicciolina]

I've mostly gone for/done internships for fashion PR and magazines so I'm a bit new to buying internships which I'm just getting into (I'm a finance major so that's probably why... more relevant to my degree ) Do you have any advice in terms of how to approach it, cover letter, who to send it to, etc?

 

[bluespring]

^i dont think its any different from applying to other career fields, have you tried applying for the buyer position itself. i think you should. finance major got lots of potential

internship for buying is pretty basic, go to showroom, run reports for the buyer, check merchandise, markdowns, check orders for delivery, arrange pictures of season merchandise buys, shred paper when buyers dont have **** to do for you
did i miss anything?

 

[Missivtec22]

Marketing is the desired major isnt it? Because you can go into Marketing Merchandising and further yourself with experience to become an assistant buyer or buyer itself.

I am currently a Marketing Major, and then getting my second Degree in Fashion Merchandising.

 

[bluespring]

^don't you want to work in fashion pr instead?

anyway offtopic but do you drive a honda?

 

[Missivtec22]

Ha ha yes, why do you ask?...oh the name... it gives it away.

But no Fashion PR isnt what i want to go into, the Fashion Merchandising has been my pain priority since I began school.

 

[bluespring]

^i knew it! i miss driving a civic

i got my friend who finished Intl Marketing and now shes almost done taking merchandising classes from FIT. i wonder whats shes up to now

i think im gonna apply for assistant buying positions even thought i have the slimmest chance of getting my resume notice ;/

 

[Missivtec22]

I actually drive an RSX

But yeah is she going to go into buying aswell?

 

[bluespring]

^yeah and her bro is a buyer for streetwear store

^i never really like rsx after seeings so many girls driving it (jp)

 

[cutxpaste]

I have been told several times by different people that I would do well to become a buyer. I'm wondering how you can become a buyer if you don't have a degree in fashion merchandising, etc? since I am considering majoring in psychology/sociology.

 

[ClosetCupcake]

salary for buyers?

What is the average salary for a buyer of a department store and/or a small company? I've asked this question before and received a few well appreciated, but vague answers. Money is a serious consideration for me and I want to make sure that I'm heading in the right direction before I waste a lot of time, money, and effort. I've done some research online, but I don't believe what I've read is entirely accurate and I'd rather hear it from somebody directly.

If you care to share, I'd love it if somebody could write me a private message and/or post it in this forum to help others! Thank you so much in advance!

 

[chloegirl]

^^ i pm'ed you!

 

[clarex]

I have a phone interview tomorrow, for a graduate buying program. I'll let everyone know what sort of questions they ask, hopefully it will be of some help to someone!

 

[Diorlover]

which degree would be most useful for a buyer? Fashion Textiles degree or a fashion management one??

 

[clarex]

Oh my gawwwd, just had an awful phone interview! I'm not tooo upset as I don't particularly want the job, but so glad I did the interview as practice.
Here are the questions I can remember, hope they help someone!

• Why do you want to work for ________? (the company in question)
• What do you think your role would be, what duties?
• What would you bring to the role?
• Can you talk me through your relevant work experience?
• Who do you think our customers are?
• Who do you think our competitors are?
• Which retailers are doing well at the moment, and why do you think this is?
• Where do you shop, and why?
• Where do you get information about the latest trends?
• Talk me through the trends for this season and next season.
• Which designers do you think we take inspiration from?
• Are there any designers you think we should be looking to, that we aren't.
• What do you think are our strongest pieces?
• What do you think we could improve on?

That's all I can remember now, it was all a blur! At the end they asked if I had any questions and I think it shows some initiative if you ask at least one question, so its wise to have something prepared!