Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
Occupation · SOC 13-1022.00
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. May negotiate contracts. Includes assistant wholesale and retail buyers of nonfarm products.
Also called: Buyer · Grocery Buyer · Procurement Specialist · Trader · Purchaser · Purchasing Coordinator · Retail Buyer · Acquisition Specialist · Art Dealer · Buying Professional · Category Planner · Commodity Buyer
Job family: Business and Financial Operations Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-13-1022-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- High AI exposure
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (39th), high AI task-overlap now (74th)
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 68th | 0.8 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 78th | 0.9 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.3 · 39th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Develop strategies to advertise green products or merchandise to consumers. | 0.8% | |
| Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise. | 0.2% | |
| Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers or other media. | 0.2% |
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products sits at the 76th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
39% mean task exposure (2025)
76th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−8 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers · 3323 | 39% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers. Core · importance 4.6
- Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers. Core · importance 4.3
- Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness. Core · importance 4.1
- Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, or style number. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices. Core · importance 4.1
- Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel. Core · importance 4.0
- Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise. Core · importance 3.9
- Monitor and analyze sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns, company sales, and needed inventory. Core · importance 3.9
- Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products. Core · importance 3.7
- Train or supervise sales or clerical staff. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield. Core · importance 3.5
- Determine which products should be featured in advertising, the advertising medium to be used, or when the ads should be run. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers or other media. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Conduct sales meetings to introduce new merchandise. Core · importance 3.2
- Analyze environmental aspects of competing merchandise when making buying decisions. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Compare transportation options to determine the most energy-efficient options. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Develop strategies to advertise green products or merchandise to consumers. Supplemental · importance 2.6
- Identify opportunities to buy green commodities, such as alternative energy, water, or carbon-neutral products for resale to consumers. Supplemental · importance 2.5
- Monitor consumer preferences or environmental trends to determine the best way to introduce new green products. Supplemental · importance 2.4
Work activities
- Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices.
- Evaluate logistics methods to reduce environmental impact.
- Develop business or market strategies.
- Identify strategic business investment opportunities.
- Analyze consumer trends.
- Purchase stocks of merchandise or supplies.
- Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.
- Purchase products or services.
- Determine the value of goods or services.
- Advise others on business or operational matters.
- Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.
- Obtain information about goods or services.
- Analyze market conditions or trends.
- Authorize financial actions.
- Disburse funds from clients accounts to creditors.
- Discuss business strategies, practices, or policies with managers.
- Train personnel to enhance job skills.
- Supervise employees.
- Provide information to coworkers.
- Create marketing materials.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Transferable skills
| Negotiation | 4.0 | |
| Persuasion | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | |
| Instructing | 3.0 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.6 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.5 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.3 | |
| Number Facility | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Near Vision | 3.1 | |
| Written Expression | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Sales and Marketing | 3.8 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.7 | |
| English Language | 3.6 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.4 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.4 | |
| Economics and Accounting | 3.2 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Writing | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 50.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 49.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services , Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services , Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 34.6% | |
| High School Diploma | 20.3% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 13.9% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 11.4% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 10.3% | |
| Some College Courses | 8.2% | |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 1.2% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Business Initiatives | 6.0 | |
| Management/Administration | 4.1 | |
| Sales | 3.7 | |
| Office Work | 3.2 | |
| Accounting | 3.2 | |
| Finance | 2.7 | |
| Public Speaking | 2.6 | |
| Marketing/Advertising | 2.5 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.2 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Enterprising | 5.2 | |
| Conventional | 5.2 | |
| Realistic | 3.4 | |
| Social | 2.5 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.3 | |
| Dependability | 2.1 | |
| Self-Confidence | 2.0 |
Related occupations
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products · 13-1023.00 Compare →
- Procurement Clerks · 43-3061.00 Compare →
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products · 13-1021.00 Compare →
- Purchasing Managers · 11-3061.00 Compare →
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents · 41-3031.00 Compare →
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products · 41-4012.00 Compare →
- Sales Managers · 11-2022.00 Compare →
- Brokerage Clerks · 43-4011.00 Compare →
- Real Estate Sales Agents · 41-9022.00 Compare →
- Customs Brokers · 13-1041.08 Compare →
- Retail Salespersons · 41-2031.00 Compare →
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel · 41-3091.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services · field of study
- Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 76th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products sit at the 74th percentile of AI task overlap among U.S. occupations
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products rank in the 74th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
Copy the whole kit
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products sit at the 74th percentile of AI task overlap among U.S. occupations • Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products rank in the 74th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) Source: Singulariki — "Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1022-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1022-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1022-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-13-1022-00,
title = {Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-13-1022-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.