Merchandiser

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

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Potential job titles in this career

Buyer, Grocery Buyer, Procurement Specialist, Purchaser, Purchasing Coordinator, Retail Buyer, Trader

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.

What will I do?

Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.

Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.

Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.

Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.

Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.

Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.

Monitor and analyze sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns, company sales, and needed inventory.

Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.

Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.

Conduct sales meetings to introduce new merchandise.

In this career, it is important to know

Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

It's useful to be good at

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Employment trends

Location	Pay period	2022
Location	Pay period	10%	25%	Median%	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$19.74	$24.91	$32.51	$43.71	$55.95
United States	Yearly	$41,060	$51,820	$67,620	$90,920	$116,370
Arizona	Hourly	$20.52	$25.64	$31.47	$40.40	$52.43
Arizona	Yearly	$42,690	$53,320	$65,450	$84,020	$109,050

2022 Median%
United States	$32.51 Hourly	$67,620 Yearly
Arizona	$31.47 Hourly	$65,450 Yearly

Employment (2022)

494,400 employees

Projected growth (2022 - 2032)

Decline (-2% or lower)

Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)

39,000

* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

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Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

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Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

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Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

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The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.