10 jobs for people who love to shop
Wondering if you’d be a good candidate for shopping jobs? See if this rings true: You consider Black Friday your personal holiday. You can go into any store, pick through the racks, and walk away with an armful of treasures that other people overlooked. Every December, your inbox gets full with emails from friends asking you for gift suggestions. You mentally redecorate every room you enter. You are familiar with 99% of the names on the National Retail Federation’s top 100 retailers.
Others may scoff, but you know the truth: Shopping is a skill, and you’ve got it to spare. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Laborinsight from Burning Glass, Monster chose 10 jobs that will put your talent to work. Cha-ching!
Commodities trader
What you’d do: Buy and sell… so you can buy and sell some more. Commodities traders operate in the complex world of what boils down to wagering about the future price of different raw materials (oil, grain, metal, etc.). They monitor international markets, conduct research, and buy and sell based on their premonitions (and their client’s premonitions) about what the future holds.
What you’d earn: $67,270 per year Fashion buyer
What you’d do: Fashion buyers are what many people think of when it comes to shopping jobs. They decide what clothes and accessories will be hanging on racks each season. These trend-spotters rely heavily on their knowledge of the cycles of fashion (what has been hot over time) and the ability to predict when things will come back around, often before style blogs and magazines catch on. What you’d earn: $69,600 per year
Food service manager
What you’d do: A great meal can also be an incredible experience. Food service managers order of food and beverages, equipment, and supplies for a restaurant to help ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience. They also manage the business to ensure that it’s profitable and are responsible for the daily operations, including managing kitchen and dining room staff.
What you’d earn: $55,320 per year
Interior designer
What you’d do: Interior designers turn a house into home sweet home by planning, selecting and shopping for the elements that bring a space to life. Their selections can include broader elements like the color and lighting schemes, but also specific items such as sofas, flooring and plumbing fixtures.
What you’d earn: $56,040 per year
IT buyer
What you’d do: If you’re first in line for the latest smartphone or laptop, consider yourself primed for this job. IT buyers balance a company’s IT budget with workers’ desire to have the hottest gadgets on their desks and in their hands. Because they supply their entire company, they have to be just as up to date on the latest digital tools for sales and marketing as for the tech department itself.
What you’d earn: $69,600 per year
Personal shopper
What you’d do: For some people, time is their greatest luxury. Thus, they rely on personal shoppers to make their lives easier. As their go-to shopper, these assistants might be charged with picking up back-to-school clothes for their kids, the week’s groceries, a new spring wardrobe or special offerings for a dinner party on Friday night. Basically, if a client needs something — anything — a personal shopper is ready to go buy it.
What you’d earn: $32,491 per year
Picker/packer
What you’d do: Picker/packers receive online orders and run around a warehouse grabbing items to fulfill those orders. Also known as order fillers, these workers are in increasing demand thanks to the boom of of e-commerce and fulfillment centers.
What you’d earn: $25,910 per year
Purchasing agent
What you’d do: Businesses need personal shoppers too. Purchasing agents keep companies running by ensuring that whatever is needed is on hand. This can be relatively simple, such as keeping office supplies stocked so that someone can grab a pen and notepad as needed, or deeply complex, such as in manufacturing operations where a constant, dependable supply of numerous elements has to be in stock at all times to produce the company’s products. What you’d earn: $69,600 per year
Visual merchandiser
What you’d do: While visual merchandisers don’t technically buy anything, they still get to walk around a store and pick and choose which items to display in order to turn casual shoppers into buyers. Visual merchandisers handle the big picture of overall setups and seasonal themes (all those Christmas trees don’t decorate themselves!), and also details
such as styling and posing mannequins or arranging pastries on trays. What you’d earn: $27,680 per year
Wholesale buyer
What you’d do: Much like a fashion buyer, wholesale buyers decide what items retail stores will be selling in the months ahead. Wholesale buyers analyze past buying trends and sales records before choosing and ordering the items, with the hopes that customers are going to want to plunk down their money to buy a store’s offerings.
What you’d earn: $50,593 per year Put your skills on display
If you just caught full-blown retail fever after reading this list, it’s time to get your name out there so that hiring managers take notice. Could you use some help with that? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resume — each tailored to the types of shopping jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. Additionally, you can get job alerts emailed to you so you can be among the first to apply when a new opportunity becomes available. And as a shopping maven, you know just how important it is to be at the front of the line.