Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 8 Consumer Services 205 Buying Buying involves choosing suppliers and merchandise for businesses and organizations. Typical positions in buying include buyers, retail buyers, purchasing agents, purchasing managers, and supply chain managers. Buyers and purchasing agents purchase materials or services for their businesses and organizations. Some buyers focus on purchasing goods and services so the business can create higher-level products. Other buyers, such as retail buyers, purchase products to resell to consumers (Figure 8.4). Buyers of more complex products or product lines are purchasing managers or supply chain managers. Buyers, of course, work with suppliers. Buyers evaluate suppliers to choose from whom they will purchase. They consider the price, performance, and quality of a needed product to get the best deal for their company. They look at the availability or time it will take to deliver the product. They also consider the reliability of the product and reputation of the supplier. An important part of the buying process is negotiating with the supplier. Price and delivery must be agreed upon. A purchasing contract must be signed. Part of the contract includes expectations for any necessary corrective actions if a product arrives defective or does not perform as expected. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com Figure 8.3 Effective customer service representatives have excellent speaking and active listening skills. What other skills should a customer service representative possess?