Day in the Life: Assistant Buyer

June 21st, 2021

Job Title: Assistant Buyer
Type of Company: Retail Department Store
Yearly Salary: $57,000-$64,000
City: New York
Age: 25

Summary of your job:

As an assistant buyer, I work with our internal teams (marketing, finance, assortment planning) and external brands to optimize our omni-channel retail strategy. Essentially, it’s similar to being a mini entrepreneur within a larger company. I have my hands in a little bit of everything, from advertising, analytics, trend forecasting, etc. My job consists of curating seasonal assortments of products, whether it’s home goods, fashion, or accessories for each season.

What is your morning routine:

One of the first things I do is check my email to make sure there are no fire drills. From there I’ll walk to the kitchen to make myself a matcha oat milk latte and some breakfast. I’ve been eating cinnamon raisin toast with a side of fruit religiously.

What are you doing at 9AM?

I’m replying to quick emails and creating a list for how I want to tackle my priorities that day. I also like to check my calendar for the week to make sure I’m preparing for any calls or meetings.

What are you doing at 11AM?

Typically I will have a meeting with one of the internal teams I work with, whether it’s finance, marketing, digital, or assortment planning. I’ll also hop on a quick call with brands I work with to share an update on business and what tactics or strategies we could implement next week to optimize sales.

What do you do for lunch?

Typically leftovers from dinner the night before :)

What are you doing at 2PM?

I like to tackle bigger projects in the afternoon. I find that I’m able to focus more, especially after going through emails and attending meetings throughout the morning.

What are you doing at 5PM?

At the end of the day I like to make sure I’ve completed all my priorities and deadlines. I’ll go through emails again and prep any work I need to get done for the next day.

Do you usually work late?

Not usually, however, there will be busier periods of work. For example, each quarter we have a few weeks where we are in ‘market’, this is when we work closely with brands to curate our buys for the next season, this typically will require some extra hours but nothing unmanageable.

What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry?

I wish I knew earlier how expansive the retail industry was. I always knew I wanted to incorporate fashion and retail in my career and thought the only way to do that was to work at a traditional retailer. However, retail, like many other industries, continues to innovate and evolve. In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of DTC, subscription services, etc. It excites me to see the innovation of retail especially at the intersection of tech.

What is your favorite thing about the work you do?

I like how it’s a balance of both strategic thinking and creativity. I love following trends and being able to influence the assortments we curate to offer our customers.

A piece of advice for people entering this field?

Be open minded but hold true to your vision. When I first started out, I thought I wanted to work in the ready to wear department but have since worked in other departments (home, accessories) that I’ve enjoyed.