Buying Job Descriptions — Letter A
Buying and purchasing job descriptions beginning with A
Two buying job descriptions begin with the letter A, and between them they show both ends of a buying career. The Accessories Buyer is a fully fledged specialist role, responsible for a store's or brand's range of fashion accessories. The Assistant Buyer is the profession's main entry point — the job in which most buyers learn the trade by supporting an experienced buyer. Both descriptions are linked below.
More Buying Job Descriptions by Letter:
A — Buying Roles
The Accessories Buyer
Accessories — handbags, belts, scarves, hats, jewelry, sunglasses and small leather goods — are bought differently from clothing. There are no garment size runs to plan, but there are fast-moving trends, strong seasonal colour stories and price points that have to work as add-on purchases at the till as well as destinations in their own right. The accessories buyer selects that range, negotiates with suppliers, and watches which pieces lift the sales of the clothing they sit beside. It is a category where a good eye matters enormously, because accessories turn over quickly and a missed trend is visible on the shelf within weeks.
The Assistant Buyer
The assistant buyer supports a buyer across the whole buying cycle: raising and checking orders, tracking samples and deliveries, preparing sales reports, and communicating quantities, prices and dates to suppliers in writing. It is detailed, deadline-driven work, and it is how the profession trains its own — an assistant buyer who masters the numbers and the product earns a range of their own. Anyone researching a first job in fashion buying should start with this description, then read the accessories buyer page to see the kind of role it leads to.
Common Questions
What is the difference between an Accessories Buyer and an Assistant Buyer?
They sit at different levels of the same ladder. An assistant buyer supports a buyer and owns parts of the process — orders, samples, reports and delivery tracking. An accessories buyer owns a whole category: choosing the accessories range, setting quantities and prices, and answering for its sales and margin. Assistant buyers are typically promoted into buyer roles over a specific category, of which accessories is one.
How do you become an accessories buyer?
The usual route is through an assistant buyer or buyer's assistant role, often in accessories or a neighbouring category, building the numeracy, supplier knowledge and product judgement the buyer role demands. Retail experience in accessories helps, as does a demonstrable feel for trends, colour and price points.