What is Merchandising?

[Josephus]

I thought merchandising was selling stuff.

[Sheilbh]

Apparently buying and merchandising are separate.  That's what I've learned from my interview

Oh.  How exactly are they separate?

Sorry not from my interview but for my interview.

Buying is choosing which lines of something to get and merchandising is deciding how much, the pricing and how to maximise sales etc.

[Caliga]

Oh, ok.  I know my grandfather did the former (he used to go to fashion shows in NYC all the time, for example).  I think he also decided how much to buy and what price to set it at though.