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Buyer - Grocery

Grocery Outlet

Emeryville, CAFull-time$90–110K/yrPosted 1w agoStill listed 4 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$90–110K/yr
Location
Emeryville, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Grocery Buyer manages assigned grocery categories, generating approximately $80 million annually. The role optimizes assortment through category management, item reviews, supplier performance reviews, and promotional planning. It also covers pricing, buying and replenishment, vendor negotiations, and collaboration with inventory planning and cross-functional teams to support customer value and category growth.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Consumer Product BuyingConsumer Product SellingDiscount RetailOpportunistic AssortmentEntrepreneurial MindsetRisk AssessmentNegotiationRelationship BuildingAdaptabilityTrend SpottingOrganizationAttention to DetailFollow-ThroughWritten CommunicationVerbal CommunicationResults OrientationGrowth ImprovementInnovation

Qualifications

10+ Years Buying or Selling Experience

Benefits

401(k) Match
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance

Full job description

About the Team: Our Purchasing team’s mission is to provide bargain-minded customers with the deepest discounts on quality and branded products. In many ways our team is the heart of the organization- building and maintaining vendor relationships and providing solutions for our supplier partners and independent operators. Our buyers are empowered with speed, flexibility, and freedom while their passion and creativity embody the art of closeout buying. Successful members of our team are motivated to exceed annual comp sales, thrive in a collaborative environment, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and be motivated by relationship building.

About the Role:

You will be a part of the Grocery team which is responsible for the category management decisions, assortment planning, seasonal planning, RFP’s and the buying and replenishment of everyday items. As a Grocery Buyer, you will be responsible for managing all aspects of your assigned categories within the Department, generating +-$80M annually. Your primary role is to optimize the assortment through exceptional category management practices, including a rigorous regular item level review, supplier performance reviews & promotional planning while supporting our commitment of providing VALUE to our customers. This role reports to the Director - Purchasing.

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Responsibilities Include:

  • Analyze internal and syndicated data to identify assortment opportunities and emerging trends.

  • Define retail pricing strategies to optimize sales, inventory turns, and profit margins.

  • Take calculated risks to drive excitement and engagement with customers.

  • Negotiate the most competitive costs to enhance customer value perception.

  • Recommend and champion innovative solutions during vendor negotiations.

  • Manage DSD Order Guides in the Power HQ system, ensuring pricing and UPC data accuracy.

  • Collaborate with the Inventory Planning team to identify opportunities that strategically grow sales while minimizing losses.

  • Cultivate and strengthen relationships with current suppliers.

  • Prioritize deals and opportunities based on Open-to-Buy (OTB) needs.

  • Lead efforts to align and inspire cross-functional partners across Operations, Store Operations, Marketing, and IT—bringing together diverse perspectives to achieve shared goals.

  • Set and execute short- and long-term plans aligned with team and departmental strategies.

  • Adapt to shifting priorities and respond effectively to evolving business demands.

  • Effectively communicate and position the unique Grocery Outlet and Independent Operator model to vendors.

About The Pay:

  • Base Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000 Annually

  • Annual Bonus Program

  • Equity

  • 401(k) Profit Sharing

  • Medical, Dental, Vision & More!

  • Final compensation will be determined based upon experience and skills and may vary based on location.

About You:

  • You have 10+ years of experience buying or selling consumer products

  • Experience in a discount retail environment and/or working with an opportunistic product assortment is highly desirable.

  • Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for taking smart, calculated risks.

  • Strong negotiation skills — confident presenting bold offers while driving mutually beneficial outcomes.

  • Collaborative and people-oriented, with a natural ability to build strong relationships.

  • Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities and minimal direction.

  • Sharp trend-spotting instincts and a passion for identifying hot-selling products.

  • Highly organized with strong attention to detail and reliable follow-through.

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

  • Passionate, driven, and consistently engaged in delivering results.

  • Demonstrated history of driving growth, improvement, or innovation in previous roles.

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How this job compares

Set against the 516 open Category Manager jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 7, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$90–110K/yr
  • US median$101–146K/yr367 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $100K, is 19% below the US median midpoint ($124K) — in the lowest quarter of Category Manager salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 21 open Category Manager jobs in California and 516 across the US. 6% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 10 years of experience — more than three in four Category Manager postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 459 postings).
Education
344 of the 516 open Category Manager jobs (67%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 7, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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