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Occupational Report for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (13-1022) , Oregon Statewide
Occupational Description
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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. Include assistant buyers.

Employment Outlook for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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Statewide Employment Analysis 2006 employment is estimated to be larger than the statewide average This occupation is expected to grow at about the statewide average. Total job openings are projected to be somewhat higher than the statewide average.

Reasonable employment opportunities exist for trained workers.
Data Sources and Limitations
Current Job Openings for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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There are 8 current openings for this occupation. Openings 1 through 8 are listed below.
Job Title Date Posted Location Wage Offered
Assistant Buyer 2/5/10 Redmond DOE
Purchasing Expediter 2/3/10 Salem $2,143/mo to $2,742/mo
Senior Buyer 1/29/10 Beaverton DOE
Buyer/Planner 1/27/10 Beaverton
Retail Merchandiser 1/27/10 Salem
Retail Merchandiser 1/27/10 Hillsboro
Retail Merchandiser 1/27/10 Ontario
Buyer 1 12/21/09 Milwaukie $46,000/yr to $69,000/yr DOE
State of Oregon License Information for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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No statewide license is required for this occupation.
Wages for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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Region ---------------- 2009 Wages ----------------
Percentiles (hourly wages) Avg
Hourly
($/hr)		 Avg
Annual
10th 25th 50th
(median)		 75th 90th
Oregon Statewide $14.27 $17.37 $21.34 $27.87 $34.78 $23.53 $48,927
Multnomah / Washington 15.33 18.01 22.23 28.54 34.92 24.16 50,260
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 11.86 14.14 20.00 25.17 34.21 22.73 47,281
Lane 14.17 16.38 20.74 25.38 31.78 21.96 45,666
Jackson / Josephine 12.56 16.12 18.74 23.49 33.04 20.42 42,475
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 16.53 17.75 19.69 23.27 30.61 21.40 44,526
Clackamas 15.76 19.80 24.95 32.68 46.45 27.85 57,925
Data Sources and Limitations
Regional Employment Projections for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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Region Employment Change % Change Projected Annual Openings
2006 2016 Growth Replacement Total
Oregon Statewide 2,711 3,138 427 15.8% 43 77 119
Multnomah / Washington 1,387 1,628 241 17.4% 24 40 64
Clackamas 281 321 40 14.2% 4 8 12
Lane 222 247 25 11.3% 3 6 9
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 157 185 28 17.8% 3 5 7
Jackson / Josephine 147 171 24 16.3% 2 4 7
Benton / Lincoln / Linn 115 131 16 13.9% 2 3 5
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 90 114 24 26.7% 2 3 5
Douglas 32 34 2 6.2% 0 1 1
Klamath / Lake 30 34 4 13.3% 0 1 1
Morrow / Umatilla 20 24 4 20.0% 0 1 1
Clatsop / Columbia / Tillamook 19 23 4 21.1% 0 1 1
Coos / Curry 16 20 4 25.0% 0 1 1
Baker / Union / Wallowa 14 15 1 7.1% 0 0 1
Gilliam / Hood River / Sherman / Wheeler / Wasco 13 17 4 30.8% 0 0 1
Grant / Harney / Malheur 10 13 3 30.0% 0 0 1

Replacement openings are caused by existing workers permanently leaving their occupation. Many additional job openings occur due to job changes within occupations.
Data Sources and Limitations
Industries of Employment for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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Industry
Click links to view infoUSA employers		 Ownership 2006
Employment
Total, All Industries All 2,711
Total, All Industries Private 2,675
Manufacturing Private 51
Wholesale Trade Private 1,032
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods Private 446
Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Private 43
Lumber and Other Construction Materials Merchant Wholesalers Private 61
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Private 48
Metal and Mineral (except Petroleum) Merchant Wholesalers Private 22
Electrical and Electronic Goods Merchant Wholesalers Private 46
Hardware, and Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Private 82
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Private 82
Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers Private 50
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods Private 305
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers Private 103
Grocery and Related Product Wholesalers Private 99
Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers Private 51
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers Private 281
Retail Trade Private 885
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers Private 84
Automobile Dealers Private 46
Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores Private 33
Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores Private 42
Furniture Stores Private 32
Electronics and Appliance Stores Private 30
Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers Private 98
Building Material and Supplies Dealers Private 79
Food and Beverage Stores Private 175
Grocery Stores Private 159
Health and Personal Care Stores Private 52
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores Private 92
Clothing Stores Private 66
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book, and Music Stores Private 168
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores Private 65
Book, Periodical, and Music Stores Private 103
Miscellaneous Store Retailers Private 78
Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores Private 58
Nonstore Retailers Private 47
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses Private 45
Transportation and Warehousing Private 59
Warehousing and Storage Private 55
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Private 22
Management of Companies and Enterprises Private 556
Accommodation and Food Services Private 23
Food Services and Drinking Places Private 22
Educational Requirements for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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Workers must have a bachelor's degree to gain the necessary skills for this occupation. However, those with a bachelor's degree and related work experience have a competitive advantage in this labor market.
Skills for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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  • Analyze And Monitor Sales Activity And Trend
  • Apply Mathematical Principles To Accounting, Bookkeeping Or Budgeting
  • Apply Product Knowledge To Marketing Of Goods
  • Complete Purchase Requisitions
  • Develop Budgets
  • Develop Pricing Strategy
  • Make Presentations
  • Manage Inventories And Supplies
  • Monitor Consumer And Marketing Trends
  • Obtain Information From Clients, Customers, Patients Or Others
  • Prepare Contracts
  • Price Merchandise
  • Process Records And Maintain Forms And Files
  • Recognize And Evaluate Product Quality
  • Understand Sales Contracts
  • Understand, Use, And Communicate Technical Information
  • Use Appraisal Techniques When Purchasing Or Trading Merchandise
  • Use Computers To Enter, Access And Retrieve Data
  • Use Computers To Organize And Locate Parts And Inventory
  • Use Inventory Control Procedures
  • Use Sources Of Supply In Purchasing
Schools and Training Providers for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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The training providers listed below offer one or more of the following programs:

Pioneer Pacific College
27501 SW Parkway Ave
Wilsonville, OR 97070
Phone: (503) 682-3903
Programs of Training:
 Southwestern Oregon Community College
1988 Newmark Ave
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Phone: (541) 888-2525
Programs of Training:
 Oregon State University
104 Kerr Administration Bldg.
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: (541) 737-0123
Programs of Training:
Career Pathway Roadmaps for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
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No Career Pathway links were found for this occupation.
Related Occupations
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The scores listed below indicates how closely the skills for Wholesale And Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products matches the occupation in the list. A score of 100% means the occupations have identical skill sets. A maximum of 10 occupations are displayed below.
Occupation Skill Overlap
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, And Farm Products 74%
Purchasing Agents And Buyers, Farm Products 48%
Supervisors And Managers Of Retail Sales Workers 29%
Wholesale And Manufacturing Sales Representatives, Technical And Scientific 29%
Purchasing Managers 28%
Supervisors And Managers Of Non-Retail Sales Workers 27%
Procurement Clerks 26%
Wholesale And Manufacturing Sales Representatives Non-Technical And Scientific 24%
Sales Representatives, Services, All Other 24%
Sales Managers 21%