My Journey into Procurement
I unknowingly began my career in the retail industry when I accepted a job as a part-time cashier at a local grocery store in high school. After holding operational leadership roles in retail for nearly a decade, I transitioned into the procurement world through a promotion. This transition was inherently challenging, as I had never done anything like it before. To add to the difficulty, I entered procurement in 2020, at the height of the global pandemic. Not only did I face typical challenges like gaining the trust of established supplier partners, learning how to negotiate effectively, adding value to the business, and managing supplier relationships, but I also had to address cost reductions and mitigate price increases during a period of serious global supply chain issues caused by the pandemic.
I quickly learned, however, that my experience in operational leadership roles had prepared me well for the procurement world. One of my greatest strengths has always been managing relationships with my teams—a transferable skill I relied on every day when communicating with my suppliers.
Why Supplier Conversations Matter
As with any relationship, some conversations are easier to have than others. From identifying potential partnerships to reviewing pricing bid submissions, my conversations ranged from mundane to intense to deeply gratifying when I was able to award business after a successful negotiation. However, with any RFP, there are winners and losers, and those losses often lead to conversations that one of us would rather avoid.
So, how do you have a difficult conversation with a supplier? Thanks to COVID, I had significantly more opportunities to discuss supply chain issues, unforeseen cost increases in raw materials, fluctuating lead times, and, on rare occasions, professionalism concerns with suppliers.
Building Relationships
I’d like to share how I leveraged my previous experience to successfully navigate these difficult conversations. As with any new relationship, I established a foundational rapport early. In my operations role, I met with my teams and learned who they were not just as managers or employees but as people. When I transitioned into procurement, I met (virtually) with each of my suppliers to introduce myself. I shared not only my professional experience but also a little about who I was outside of work.
Being personable and relatable helped me build connections. I explained what I sought from them—knowledge—because they were experts in their fields, while I oversaw many technically challenging categories like HVAC and refrigeration. I established clear expectations and emphasized proactive communication, just as I would have with my operations teams. I never wanted to be the last to learn about an issue. Instead, I sought to work collaboratively to identify solutions. Establishing open and honest relationships early on laid the groundwork for those more difficult conversations down the line.
Preparing for Conversations
Once a baseline relationship has been developed, it becomes easier to prepare for difficult conversations. You better understand your supplier’s priorities and anticipate how they might react to your perspective.
When approaching these conversations, it’s essential to take the time to prepare. Just as I would with an underperforming employee, I dedicated time to planning what I needed to communicate. Seek to understand your supplier’s position and perspective. Be transparent and direct in your communication.
Share your issues clearly and openly. Often, both you and your supplier are simply liaisons for your respective companies, with external factors driving the conversations. If necessary, involve additional team members from both sides to ensure a productive dialogue.
Explain your concerns, outline potential outcomes resulting from the supplier’s actions or inaction, and emphasize how these could impact both parties. Seek feedback and work together to identify solutions. In many cases, suppliers have encountered similar issues with other customers and may already have viable solutions to propose.
Maintaining Partnerships
Most importantly, recognize that supplier relationships are partnerships. Even if you aren’t awarding business to a particular supplier at the moment, you may need their partnership in the future. Strive for mutual success by being transparent about what you can compromise on and clear about what you cannot.
Maintain open communication channels, and at the end of difficult conversations, determine whether additional follow-up is needed. Ensure you follow through on any commitments made to your suppliers. Remember, this is a partnership built on trust and collaboration.
Benefits of Difficult Conversations
Although difficult conversations with suppliers are not enjoyable, they are vital to creating an atmosphere of long-term success. By addressing challenges proactively, you improve efficiency within your procurement team and set clear expectations for suppliers.
These conversations foster relationships where both parties feel valued and are more likely to support each other during future challenges. Ultimately, they allow you to solve problems before they escalate, saving time and money.
About the Author

Andrea Gnezda is a seasoned procurement and retail operations leader with over a decade of experience driving results across diverse roles in the retail industry. Starting as a part-time cashier, she advanced to operational leadership roles, including over seven years with ALDI USA. There, she served as an Executive Manager in National Procurement, excelling in problem-solving, RFP management, and supplier relationships, and as a District Manager, where she oversaw safety awareness, team development, and operational excellence. Her career foundation at Marsh Supermarkets saw her progress from Co-Manager to Store Manager, refining her leadership and operational skills. During the global pandemic, Andrea transitioned into procurement, successfully navigating supply chain disruptions, mitigating cost increases, and fostering collaborative supplier partnerships. Her unique blend of operational leadership and procurement expertise makes her adept at solving complex challenges, driving efficiency, and building strong, lasting partnerships.
About Varis
Varis is a one-stop shop for supplies and services stores need to run, from frontline to finance—no paperwork, no phone tag, no confusion through a powerful eProcurement platform. Their solution allows retailers to curate supplier catalogs and access Varis’s managed suppliers, simplifying the purchasing process and enhancing efficiency.
The leadership team includes Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Prentis Wilson, who previously founded Amazon Business and scaled it to a $15B+ division, and Chief Operating Officer Daniel Smith, who has extensive experience launching and scaling businesses, including leading Amazon Business for Education to over $2B.
Varis’s platform is designed to make it easy for employees to find what they need, aiming to improve profit margins and associate experience by simplifying indirect purchasing.