Becoming a Buyer?

[seeing_double]

...so if I am interested in buying, what should I major in. Does Parsons or FIT have a course?

Anyone?...would I even need to go to school?

 

[Meg]

FIT is the only school that I know have that has a whole undergrad degree for buying and merchandising. however, you may JUST want to be a buyer but be warned, there are more people out there who want to be buyers than merchandisers. It might be easier to go first into merchandising position and then change over. Some people may say that you can only do one or the only, but thats not true.

 

[seeing_double]

^thank you ...

one more question (for now)...how old would you say the average buyer is? I know that is an extremely general question, but I am interested in taking a course as soon as I graduate high-school next year, and then finding a job. I know that a college course really isn't necessary, but I think if I was able to enter a school such as FIT or Parsons and find a good internship (Parsons being known for theirs)...I could make some great connections to help further my future career. Back to age though...would people look at my age and immediately discard me, or no?

 

[ETROsexualJ]

^thank you ...

one more question (for now)...how old would you say the average buyer is? I know that is an extremely general question, but I am interested in taking a course as soon as I graduate high-school next year, and then finding a job. I know that a college course really isn't necessary, but I think if I was able to enter a school such as FIT or Parsons and find a good internship (Parsons being known for theirs)...I could make some great connections to help further my future career. Back to age though...would people look at my age and immediately discard me, or no?

The go into merchandising and work your way around to the buying office is a good idea. You can go and get a degree in buying (if there are even any offered with that actual title..I know mine is Merchandise Marketing); but, chances are unless you are in a training program/internship you are going to be VERY hardpressed to just search on Monster or open up WWD and find an entry level job as merchandise assistant (i.e. office pencil pusher).

The beauty of an training program in buying is that you start with the company and your learning phase is pretty much the merchandise assistant end of that. With the Saks Executive Excellence Program that I am slated to do, I spend 9 months as a mixture of an Asst Dept Manager/Assistant Buyer/Allocator. At the end of the program, if you choose to go into Buying, you are an Assistant Buyer (where you usually stay for 2-3 years) before comming an Associate Buyer (and then a little promotion to Senior AB) where you can will stay for a few more years before you become a full fledge Buyer. This is pretty much the dept store rubric.

So needless to say, before you become a full fledge buyer, you will probably spend 4-6 years as an assistant/associate buyer. Even after that, when you look through the papers for buying jobs they typically want 3-5 years of buying experience.

 

[cekla]

i have always wanted to be a buyer... sounds like a good combination of numbers and shopping.. two of my best qualities...

anyone knows what is the rough estimate of a buyer's pay?...
is it considerably high? or just ok...?

 

[Lena]

^ depends who you work for and on which professional level you are

 

[MJCouture]

cekla---buying is in no way a get-rich career. At best you will break into the low six figures. However, buying for a store like Walmart or Target will give you considerably more income than working for Barney's or Saks, its just a lot less fun.

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

i have always wanted to be a buyer... sounds like a good combination of numbers and shopping.. two of my best qualities...

anyone knows what is the rough estimate of a buyer's pay?...
is it considerably high? or just ok...?

I'm not sure of the rough estimate, I know of one woman who is the lingerie buyer for a small department store chain here in the UK and she gets 60K pound sterling a year...

 

[softgrey]

The go into merchandising and work your way around to the buying office is a good idea. You can go and get a degree in buying (if there are even any offered with that actual title..I know mine is Merchandise Marketing); but, chances are unless you are in a training program/internship you are going to be VERY hardpressed to just search on Monster or open up WWD and find an entry level job as merchandise assistant (i.e. office pencil pusher).

The beauty of an training program in buying is that you start with the company and your learning phase is pretty much the merchandise assistant end of that. With the Saks Executive Excellence Program that I am slated to do, I spend 9 months as a mixture of an Asst Dept Manager/Assistant Buyer/Allocator. At the end of the program, if you choose to go into Buying, you are an Assistant Buyer (where you usually stay for 2-3 years) before comming an Associate Buyer (and then a little promotion to Senior AB) where you can will stay for a few more years before you become a full fledge Buyer. This is pretty much the dept store rubric.

So needless to say, before you become a full fledge buyer, you will probably spend 4-6 years as an assistant/associate buyer. Even after that, when you look through the papers for buying jobs they typically want 3-5 years of buying experience.

very informative post ETRO...i hope our members appreciate the info you have shared...this is sound career advice...
...

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Low six-figures is about right for a full fledged buyer (not asst or senior asst). The good thing about being a buyer is that if you make yourself known you can work your way up to becoming a district merchandise manager and even then a general mercandise manager. My goal is to start out on the buying totem pole and then after I've paid my dues work my way up to Fashion Director of Saks or Barney's. Preferably not Neiman's since they are based in Texas.

 

[DP_woman]

To get an interview for the NM buyer program.....you submit your resume online, and then take an online math test. You have to answer 25 questions in 21 minutes. Well, I ran out of time. I think I got to #18. First of all, after I started the test, the calculator I had, didnt work right. So I had to switch to the Windows calculator, which wasted alot of time, because you have to use the mouse, and I need a new mousepad, and it took forever to click on the numbers, and blah blah blah. Then, the very first question is a difficult one, and the rest are easy. So I killed too much time on question #1. If you dont pass the test (or finish in time), you wont be granted an interview--no exceptions. However, you can retake the test in ONE YEAR.

So oh well, I guess I'll try again next year.

 

[DP_woman]

Oh, and I think a major in International Business would be a give you a strong start in buying/merchandising.

 

[JJohnson]

Wow I would love to be a buyer for Barneys

 

[Lena]

go for it JJ, it's a job that could take you to the shows (sooner or later)

 

[JJohnson]

Thanks Lena I feel better now! LOL Im going to get my business marketing degree from The University of Illinois Lena...do u think that is a good enough to have just a bachelors degree? I would like to be a buyer for high fashion...perhaps I can then stop asking for Lena's tickets haha!

 

[seeing_double]

The go into merchandising and work your way around to the buying office is a good idea. You can go and get a degree in buying (if there are even any offered with that actual title..I know mine is Merchandise Marketing); but, chances are unless you are in a training program/internship you are going to be VERY hardpressed to just search on Monster or open up WWD and find an entry level job as merchandise assistant (i.e. office pencil pusher).

The beauty of an training program in buying is that you start with the company and your learning phase is pretty much the merchandise assistant end of that. With the Saks Executive Excellence Program that I am slated to do, I spend 9 months as a mixture of an Asst Dept Manager/Assistant Buyer/Allocator. At the end of the program, if you choose to go into Buying, you are an Assistant Buyer (where you usually stay for 2-3 years) before comming an Associate Buyer (and then a little promotion to Senior AB) where you can will stay for a few more years before you become a full fledge Buyer. This is pretty much the dept store rubric.

So needless to say, before you become a full fledge buyer, you will probably spend 4-6 years as an assistant/associate buyer. Even after that, when you look through the papers for buying jobs they typically want 3-5 years of buying experience.

Thanks so much ETRO...great advice

...so how would one go about becoming a buyer for say barneys or bergdorfs. A store that isn't all over the place. Do they have training programs?

 

[snowqueen]

Well a buyer should always know their client non? The customer is a federated department store is going to on average being different than that of someone who shops at Wal-Mart and that who shops at upscale boutiques. I don't like the idea of completely discounting 'cheap' stores (can't think of the industry term for it at the moment) some of these stores offer the best training courses in buying and merch. And a lot of people who are senior buyers at more 'desirable' stores have started this way as well.

so true my mums friends a buyer for ... dont laugh ... poundland (tacky, cheapo shop in uk every thing is a pound) but she gets around about £200,000 a year. So sometimes the crapy shops pay better.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Thanks so much ETRO...great advice

...so how would one go about becoming a buyer for say barneys or bergdorfs. A store that isn't all over the place. Do they have training programs?

I don't believe they have development programs; so, unless you got really lucky and had connections you would most likely have to start somewhere else and then once you had the experience you could then look for job openings at one of those places and then apply. I have an aquaintance who started out as a merch. asst at Ralph Lauren, worked his way up for 2 years and is now a Sr Asst Buyer at Barney's for Men's Tailored Contemporary clothing.

Also, the caveat emptor for the Neiman Marcus program is that you basically have to stay in Texas for about 2 years.

 

[Meg]

so true my mums friends a buyer for ... dont laugh ... poundland (tacky, cheapo shop in uk every thing is a pound) but she gets around about £200,000 a year. So sometimes the crapy shops pay better.

This is so true. And some of these shops offer the best training programs. Just like Wal-Mart, Target, JC Penney in the states. A lot of top buyers come from these stores. And they pay major money.

 

[DP_woman]

^^Kmart has asst buyer openings right now, several of them. But I dont wanna live in Chicago (their headquarters). But if you're already in the Chicago area, go for it.