Becoming a Buyer?
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Hi, I'm new and I'm a buyer and would be happy to help answer any of the questions you have in regards to what the job is like. I went to Fashion School with the intention of becoming a buyer and it was a real eye opening situation for me when I got out and realized, wow, you can't just do this as soon as you get out of school. Becoming a buyer means starting your way at the very bottom and working your way up. Even when I am reviewing resumes for my assistant buyers and merchandise assistants, the first thing I look for is what their retail store experience is and how far did they get there? Were they an assistant manager or maybe they have management experience? The next thing I ask them is how they feel about the Retail industry as a whole because it's one thing to love fashion or whatever category it is you buy but it's something completely different to actually love retail. If you enjoy numbers and forecasts and watching the retail industry swim (or sink... there's a lot of sinking, trust me), then you would enjoy it but if you're only into buying for the shopping aspect of the job, it's the wrong business for you.
I love what I do. This is what I was born to do and I love watching the industry change on a daily basis but you have really gof to love retail to be able to do this. It has to be your passion because there are long hours and a lot of tedious work that goes into a buying position. I also want to point out that although this sounds ominous, all companies work with all the same retailers in a category and if you're a good buyer, then people will know it and vice versa. I have been contacted by head hunters in the past year for extremely large companies who have flat out told me that they aren't looking for people who are unemployed but for buyers who are still employed at their current place of business because those are the people who are good at what they do and survived the recession which hit retail very hard. And if you survived the recession, then you must be someone pretty fantastic to still have a job.
I love what I do. This is what I was born to do and I love watching the industry change on a daily basis but you have really gof to love retail to be able to do this. It has to be your passion because there are long hours and a lot of tedious work that goes into a buying position. I also want to point out that although this sounds ominous, all companies work with all the same retailers in a category and if you're a good buyer, then people will know it and vice versa. I have been contacted by head hunters in the past year for extremely large companies who have flat out told me that they aren't looking for people who are unemployed but for buyers who are still employed at their current place of business because those are the people who are good at what they do and survived the recession which hit retail very hard. And if you survived the recession, then you must be someone pretty fantastic to still have a job.
Hi Natasha, sorry I missed this. If you read back in this thread I posted a few interview questions I think.
But I would say definitely be prepared to answer questions on competitors, challenges for the company, and for the whole retail industry, questions about the target customer, and your understanding of the job and what will be expected of you.
pomegranates
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This thread has been such a help guys, cheers 
one question though... I've just finishing a design degree, but interested in getting into buying, so I'm thinking of doing a short course/summer school in London. Does anyone know any good courses/schools? The major university rankings have City, Imperial, LSE in the top 10/20 for business, and I've looked them up.. but I'm also confused about what specific course I should take. Business Management? Economics? Thee's such a choice! :S
one question though... I've just finishing a design degree, but interested in getting into buying, so I'm thinking of doing a short course/summer school in London. Does anyone know any good courses/schools? The major university rankings have City, Imperial, LSE in the top 10/20 for business, and I've looked them up.. but I'm also confused about what specific course I should take. Business Management? Economics? Thee's such a choice! :S
If you are looking to do a short course, LCF do Buying & Merchandising courses. I did levels 1 & 2 in a week and really loved it.This thread has been such a help guys, cheers
one question though... I've just finishing a design degree, but interested in getting into buying, so I'm thinking of doing a short course/summer school in London. Does anyone know any good courses/schools? The major university rankings have City, Imperial, LSE in the top 10/20 for business, and I've looked them up.. but I'm also confused about what specific course I should take. Business Management? Economics? Thee's such a choice! :S
pomegranates
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clarex, is that the intensive course? I was considering doing it.. but not sure whether to go for the separate two or the intensive. Did you feel like you missed out on anything because everything was crammed into a week?
Yep - the intensive course for a week. To be honest I don't know if bits were missed from the two seperate courses, but this was definitely the better option for me. I didn't live in London then so evening classes weren't an option, and I just wanted something I could go away and do and immediately put on my C.V. I didn't feel like it was crammed too full of information, they pace it really well. I had a good teacher anyway, I don't know if he still takes the course.
Hi Clarex
Thanks for the feedback!. Unfortunately i was not successful with that interview, may be if i would have saw ur message in time ha,
Although i do have another interview coming up on thursday, for an allocator position and I was wondering if you or others had anything else extra to add about what i should expect in the interview. As i extreely nervous as i do not have any experience within this field only 7 months shop experience. I am really worried that i will not have anything to say about how i am suitable for this position!. Any help would be fab!!
I hope someone can help me with my question!
I have a MSc in Marketing Management but I really want to get into buying, i know a marketing degree is good but i wanted to do a short course/certificate in buying, online.
it's just something that i need to put on the cv and which will hopefully give me a better understanding of the buying process.
Both FIT and LCF offers online short courses, and at this point i was wondering if anyone could help me understand which would be the best option.
Which school is better?
I have a MSc in Marketing Management but I really want to get into buying, i know a marketing degree is good but i wanted to do a short course/certificate in buying, online.
it's just something that i need to put on the cv and which will hopefully give me a better understanding of the buying process.
Both FIT and LCF offers online short courses, and at this point i was wondering if anyone could help me understand which would be the best option.
Which school is better?
When people say that you have to have several years of retail experience for becoming a buyer, are they serious? I'm a student at a University in the UkK, but I'm from Sweden so I go back there quite alot. For me , its impossible to have a retail job (unless i dont quit it every 6 months) Does anyone have any advice as how I can get other related work experience- but isn't retail. Or is it acceptable if I do one year work experience as "making up for it"
All help would be appreciated!
All help would be appreciated!
BetteT
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I don't really know the answer to that one ... but I would think that would not be necessary....if what you mean by "retail experience" means working on the sales floor.
Yes ... if you are working as a buyer for a small shop, you need to learn what a small shop's needs are, in particular the one that you will be buying for. So working on their sales floor would be of great benefit.
But I would think that for a huge department or chain store ... it's more about tracking sales figures, learning what has sold well to that stores' customers historically. You'd have to be able to translate those historical numbers into knowing what and how much to buy from the current lines ... and should have an instinct about what will be the next big seller. So ... a lot of experience in retail sales, although it might add some insight, would not be that important to being a good buyer ... at least as I understand what a buyer does.
Work experience is valuable ... especially if you get to work directly with a buyer or a manager who makes the buying decisions ... and I would think that it would count for a lot on your CV.
But ... if there is a buyer or a student who is studying buying reading this ... please share. I'm just guessing ... based on what I've read.
Yes ... if you are working as a buyer for a small shop, you need to learn what a small shop's needs are, in particular the one that you will be buying for. So working on their sales floor would be of great benefit.
But I would think that for a huge department or chain store ... it's more about tracking sales figures, learning what has sold well to that stores' customers historically. You'd have to be able to translate those historical numbers into knowing what and how much to buy from the current lines ... and should have an instinct about what will be the next big seller. So ... a lot of experience in retail sales, although it might add some insight, would not be that important to being a good buyer ... at least as I understand what a buyer does.
Work experience is valuable ... especially if you get to work directly with a buyer or a manager who makes the buying decisions ... and I would think that it would count for a lot on your CV.
But ... if there is a buyer or a student who is studying buying reading this ... please share. I'm just guessing ... based on what I've read.
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slowframes
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I'm actually interested in the opinions of people who are studying or have studied Fashion Merchandising or Fashion Buying regarding how useful attending courses/school for Fashion Merchandising/Buying is.
I'm currently working in a department store as a management trainee, and will likely have a chance to move on to becoming a buyer some time within this year or the next. I heard that being a buyer for my company is more of a learn-on-the-job kind of deal, so I've been thinking of taking up a Fashion Merchandising/Buying course at LCF before I move on to that position. Would this be necessary? Are the concepts taught in school easy enough that I could probably learn it myself by reading textbooks?
I'm currently working in a department store as a management trainee, and will likely have a chance to move on to becoming a buyer some time within this year or the next. I heard that being a buyer for my company is more of a learn-on-the-job kind of deal, so I've been thinking of taking up a Fashion Merchandising/Buying course at LCF before I move on to that position. Would this be necessary? Are the concepts taught in school easy enough that I could probably learn it myself by reading textbooks?
I work in a shoe shop, and so often I look at things are think what was the buyer thinking, and these things never sell..working on a shop floor you get to see customers get to know the customers likes/dislikes. I feel this is a huge advantage, over a buyer in a head office in an other country.
Although I have just got on a buying course at college
hoping to become a buyer my self so guess ill see things from both sides. Hope my many many years of retail experince will help me out though.
Although I have just got on a buying course at college
hoping to become a buyer my self so guess ill see things from both sides. Hope my many many years of retail experince will help me out though.there are so many customers and different needs that trust me, working in a store you may get an idea but you don't see the bigger picture. I'm not saying working on the shop floor is useless only that it's not that big advantage if you want to pursue a buying career. What companies look for is experience, yes, but math skills and a good degree mostly. (I worked as a shop assistant for two different stores and this may have helped me at job interviews because people knew I've always had an interest in fashion and things related but I also have a master degree from a top business school in Europe and I guess that's why they called me in the first place.
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Is a merchandising degree super-necessary? I live i NYC and while there are plenty of schools here, I am still kind of 'meh' on the options. Everything comes down to Parsons (ridiculously expensive) or FIT (can be kind of like community college, unless you're a wunderkind)
BetteT
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I"m guessing here, because I don't work as a buyer ... but I would think that a business degree might work too ... which would include courses in marketing and merchandising.
Buying is more about numbers and making a profit more than anything. If you are a buyer, you can work in any industry. It's not limited to fashion .... you can buy auto parts or groceries too ... it's basically the same skill set. You do not have to go to a fashion school to be a fashion buyer.
Buying is more about numbers and making a profit more than anything. If you are a buyer, you can work in any industry. It's not limited to fashion .... you can buy auto parts or groceries too ... it's basically the same skill set. You do not have to go to a fashion school to be a fashion buyer.
cygnenoir
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I don't think a degree is absolutely necessary to become a buyer, but it can certainly help. In my experience, I've noticed that buyers from Barneys, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus all have lots of retail experience. But those are big stores.
This is pretty general and varies by region, but I've noticed that the path seems to be something like this:
Work pt on the floor while in college, graduate and go into a store specific management program if there is one (I know Nordstrom has one), become a department manager and then an asst buyer. One usually buys for the department they have selling experience in. For example, if you want to buy designer shoes, do not work in the kids department unless it's just to get your foot (ha ha) in the door. Transfer as soon as you can. I've noticed that often people start off thinking that they want to be buyers and become store managers instead. There is more stability there, as buying can be high stress!
Hi guys, this is my first post on here so be kind :-P
I'm looking for a career change, and I finally feel brave enough to actually go into fashion instead of going in directions to please/impress other people.
I've been looking at a BSc Fashion Buying & Merchandising degree at Manchester Metropolitan University: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/4932/
I previously went to uni to study Psychology (I didn't finish, I left because I didn't feel passionately enough about it) so my A-levels aren't really course-relevant. I should mention I don't have the full 280 points either. I contacted the uni and they said I could take an extra A-level OR a BTEC qualification for my grades to be recognised. So here's my question - if I want to apply for 2012 entry to the uni, what'd be the best subject to take in these areas for a buying/merchandising degree? Do you think I could do it in a year? (I need to apply by Christmas this year - but, of course, they could offer me a conditional degree pending qualification results)
They also told me that experience would be favourable, so what kind of experience would you suggest I try and gain? Do any places tend to take on people for unpaid work if it's not for a university placement? If anyone could suggest anywhere, that'd be great.
Any other advice and the area would be greatly appreciated!
I'm looking for a career change, and I finally feel brave enough to actually go into fashion instead of going in directions to please/impress other people.
I've been looking at a BSc Fashion Buying & Merchandising degree at Manchester Metropolitan University: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/4932/
I previously went to uni to study Psychology (I didn't finish, I left because I didn't feel passionately enough about it) so my A-levels aren't really course-relevant. I should mention I don't have the full 280 points either. I contacted the uni and they said I could take an extra A-level OR a BTEC qualification for my grades to be recognised. So here's my question - if I want to apply for 2012 entry to the uni, what'd be the best subject to take in these areas for a buying/merchandising degree? Do you think I could do it in a year? (I need to apply by Christmas this year - but, of course, they could offer me a conditional degree pending qualification results)
They also told me that experience would be favourable, so what kind of experience would you suggest I try and gain? Do any places tend to take on people for unpaid work if it's not for a university placement? If anyone could suggest anywhere, that'd be great.
Any other advice and the area would be greatly appreciated!
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