So you clipped a terrific Macy’s 40% discount coupon and want to use it on a gorgeous $180 angora sweater. Can you figure out the sale price in your head? If you can’t, you’re not alone. When I used to work retail, we clerks were constantly getting asked by store customers to figure up the coupon discounts on a new garment, before they would make their purchase. Without calculators, our customers were at a loss for determining a final sales price.
So what exactly is a percentage? A percent is a number that represents a fraction of 100. 25% of 100, for example is 1/4 or one quarter of 100. Lucky for shoppers, a dollar bill is very easily divisible by percents and fractions. A 25 discount on a $100 dress is a discount of $25. Pretty simple, huh?
Not all dresses are marked at $100 however, which makes things a little trickier. However, figuring out discounts in one’s head is not at all difficult, once you learn a few mental math tricks.
25% discount means divisible by 4
Regardless of the price of the dress, sweater, or other item, to calculate the value of a 25% coupon, simply divide the original price of the item by 4. This number gives you the value of the coupon. Subtracting the value of the coupon from the original price of the item will give you the sales price.
33% discount means divisible by 3
To calculate a 33% discount, simply divide the original price by 3. Double your answer to mentally calculate the sales price. For example, 1/3 of a $100 dress is $33.33. Double this answer to $66.66, which represents the sales price.
50% discount means divisible by 2
Divide the value of the dress in half, and you’ve figured out that 50% discount! Amazingly, when I worked at JC Penney’s, this percentage was the one that frequently got the questions of “What’s the sales price of this dress?”
20% discount means divisible by 5
Dividing the original price by 5 will give you the value of a 20% discount. Dividing a $100 dress by 5 is $20. Subtract the discount from the original price of the dress to determine the sale price of $80.
40% discount means divide by half, then add 10%
40% discounts take a couple of steps to calculate. The easiest method of figuring the sales price of a 40% off garment was to divide the value of the dress by half (or 50%), then add back in 10%.
10% discounts
Many stores offer bonus discounts of 10% off the sale price. One of the biggest mistakes consumers make is assuming that this 10% will be combined with existing coupons for an even greater discount. In reality, the 10% is taken off the final price, “the bottom line.”
With a little practice, you’ll discover that mentally calculating those sale prices and discounts is really quite easy. An what about that $180 sweater now discounted by 40% and combined with an additional 10% off coupon? My mental math tells me that for a final sales price of $97.20, I probably ought to wait until it hits the clearance rack and is discounted even more.
