I don’t think buyers have personal discretion any longer and haven’t for a long time. They are just flunkies who manage the relationship with a pre-picked vendor and keep the records. Vendors are picked on the basis of cost. A nickle per item can sway the deal. Just look at the quality of fabric available today.
My mother was a buyer for 5 Carson, Pirie, Scott stores way back in the day. When they were bought by Kohl’s she no longer “went to market”, she just accepted and checked in the merchandise the Inventory Control Manager had selected.
I can’t even recall when that was. Maybe the 1970s.
Correction to post above: I’m not even sure if Carson’s was purchased or just went out of business. Mom did go to work for Kohl’s after that, but I could be wrong about them buying Carson’s.
Either way, the best are now going into business for themselves, not waiting around to be picked out and made to fit a specifically politically correct criteria.