A Fashion Job

Ashton Hayes 12-27-01 Fashion Design Block 6 Is Shopping with Other People?s Money Your Dream Job? Do you love to shop? But hate to spend your own money? Are you in love with clothes and fashion? Then maybe the right job for you is a Retail Buyer. A buyer?s decisions have a big impact on a stores success. The job demands performance under high pressure. There are many paths to becoming a buyer. In this career you make the decisions on what retailers offer, and you spend the retailer?s money to stock the shelves, while doing something you love, shopping.

A buyer?s decisions are a high influence on the store?s identity and reputation. The buyer has to decide on color, size, quantities and price which helps determine whether a company makes a profit. Retail buyers can be accountable of buying for an entire store or a chain of stores.

English: Nordstrom Fashion show in the Irvine Spec...

Exclusive buyer representation

Subrata Ganguly and Arundhati Sarkhel, home makers...

It all depends on how much responsibility the buyer has. Assistant buyers perform detail functions for head buyers and gain experience in the merchandise selection, orderwriting, receiving, delivery and follow-up.

Associate buyers buy specific items for a department or division of a firm thats too large to be attended by one buyer. They assume responsibility for the purchases but coordinate with a senior buyer. Buyers create buying plans that take in the customers? needs, wants, product trends, potential suppliers and prices. They develop themes for each seasons, and some buyers display or create many advertising plans.

Being a retail buyer isn?t always like a day in the mall. Its hard work, you have to be a quick thinker, deal well under pressure, be highly organized, decisive, creative and assertive. The main quality of buying is having a sense of style and taste. A retail buyer is also always negotiating...