Retail Buyer

At The Paper Store, our most successful Buyers operate like entrepreneurs—we call them Rainmakers. They don’t wait for trends to prove themselves; they spot them early, move quickly, and turn new ideas into sales, margin, and momentum.

A Buyer owns their category like a business, combining trend discovery, vendor partnerships, and data-driven decision making to build trend-right assortments that delight and surprise our customers.

Success in this role means identifying opportunities early and transforming ideas into profitable products. Rainmakers take full ownership of their category—driving sales, margin, and inventory productivity while continuously evolving their business and bringing newness to our stores.

What you'll do

Trend Discovery & Market Intelligence

• Lead the discovery of emerging product, fashion, and social media trends (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) to inform assortment and merchandising strategies.
• Monitor cultural shifts, competitive retailers, and digital platforms to identify early product opportunities.
• Attend trade shows, digital trend showcases, and industry events to bring new ideas and vendors into the business.
• Translate trends and insights into actionable product opportunities that drive excitement, demand, and sales.

Assortment Strategy & Category Ownership

• Develop and execute a customer-focused, trend-right merchandise assortment plan aligned with sales and profitability goals.
• Balance newness, proven sellers, and margin opportunities to drive category growth.
• Act quickly on emerging opportunities, testing new products and scaling successful items to maximize category growth.

Vendor Partnerships & Negotiation

• Source and onboard new vendors, brands, and products to expand category opportunities.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, allowances, RTVs, and delivery performance to protect margins and inventory productivity.
• Identify and cultivate vendor partnerships that bring differentiated product and competitive advantage to the assortment.

Financial Ownership & Inventory Strategy

• Maintain budgeted profit margins and Open-to-Buy (OTB) for assigned categories
• Analyze sales performance, inventory productivity, and trend data to drive informed buying decisions.
• Take full ownership of the financial performance of your category, balancing growth, margin, and inventory productivity.

Cross-Functional Merchandising Execution

• Partner closely with Planning, Marketing, Merchandising, and Supply Chain to execute customer-first merchandising strategies.
• Collaborate with store merchandising and marketing teams to create social-first campaigns that amplify assortments across stores and online.
• Coordinate promotional activities, events, and seasonal initiatives that generate excitement and traffic.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and inspire direct reports by fostering a creative, entrepreneurial culture that embraces innovation and new ideas.
• Encourage strong merchant instincts, curiosity, and ownership across the team.

Who You Are

• Passionate about discovering trends and new products, with a strong instinct for what customers will love next
• Able to balance creative merchandising instincts with strong retail analytics and financial discipline
• Thrive in fast-moving retail environments where speed, curiosity, and adaptability are key
• Comfortable making decisions quickly and acting on opportunities with confidence.
• Confident building vendor partnerships and negotiating to drive value and product innovation
• Take ownership of results and are motivated to grow your category and exceed goals
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Fashion, or a related field
• 5 years of retail buying experience with a proven track record of driving results
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and database applications; experience with MicroStrategy reporting is a plus
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills across merchandising, marketing, and supply chain teams
• Adaptable to changing priorities, assignments, and evolving retail trends
• Ability to work on-site four days per week in Acton, MA