Buying Merchandise for Wholesale and Retail Outlets Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply principles of merchandise buying to select appropriate products for a wholesale or retail outlet.
• Analyze supplier offers and negotiate terms to secure the best value for the business.
• Evaluate inventory levels and sales data to determine optimal stock quantities and reorder points.
• Demonstrate the ability to compile purchase orders and manage the procurement cycle efficiently.
• Implement stock control procedures to minimize shrinkage and ensure product availability.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for retail and wholesale buyers, purchasing managers, small business owners, and anyone responsible for stock procurement in a commercial outlet.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practicals are essential for this course as they provide hands-on experience in supplier negotiation, inventory simulation, and buying plan development. Learners apply theoretical concepts in realistic scenarios to build confidence and competence.

Practical Activities

• Supplier Negotiation Simulation — Learners participate in role-play negotiations with simulated suppliers to secure favourable terms for a product range. (8h)
• Inventory Management Exercise — Using a stock control simulation, learners manage inventory levels, place orders, and analyse stock turnover. (8h)
• Buying Plan Development — Learners develop a comprehensive buying plan for a selected product category, including assortment, supplier sourcing, pricing, and budget. (16h)
• Import Documentation Workshop — Learners complete sample import documentation, including pro forma invoices, bills of lading, and customs declarations. (8h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.