Associate Fresh Food Buyer

• Order fresh food products to meet forecasted demand.
• Secure the best possible product costs, quality, and service at all times.
• Ensure all established policies and procedures are understood and followed.
• Achieve inventory and turn goals while maintaining service levels and minimizing distress.
• Interface with various departments and division personnel to accomplish job functions.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with vendors, store operations, the distribution center, and division office personnel.
• Review acquisition costs to ensure purchases are made at the lowest cost consistent with quality, reliability, and urgency.
• Assess current inventory, market conditions, availability, and promotional impact to forecast order quantities and make recommendations to the merchandising team.
• Conduct post-promotional reviews to evaluate results and develop solutions for improvement.
• Resolve store-level inventory issues caused by allocations or order discrepancies.
• Review and analyze daily and weekly reports to monitor costs, quality, service levels, inventory turns, and distress, making adjustments as needed.
• Visit stores, as required, to monitor programs, gather feedback, and assess implementation effectiveness.
• Manage Accounts Payable variance processes for distribution-sourced items to ensure correct invoicing.
• Resolve store billing questions by researching discrepancies, issuing credits, or providing appropriate resolutions.
• Maintain all necessary department files and records.
• Coordinate with Warehouse Operations to maintain proper product flow through the facility in a timely manner.
• Access buying systems remotely when necessary to manage responsibilities offsite.

• Marketing/Logistics experience preferred or strong understanding of store operations and merchandising methodologies and practices.
• Understanding of grocery procurement, logistics, inventory management, marketing, accounting and financial management practices
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills; ability to take initiative and make fact- based decisions.
• Ability to plan and organize effectively.
• Written and verbal communication skills as well as interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective business relationships both internally and externally.
• Strong computer aptitude in MS Office including Word and Excel.
• Ability to concentrate and deal with frequent interruptions.

Carrie Rikon & Associates