Offers and sales can trick you into thinking that you are getting an incredible deal at the store. However, just because you don’t have to pay for the original price of the item doesn’t mean that it is in your budget.
Applying percent discounts and dollar discounts before making a purchase can help you make the right call. Use an online discount calculator or discount formula to decide if it is economically sound to accept the discount or offer that the store is offering.
Easy ways to calculate discounts on sale items
Calculating discount is an important skill to master. You can apply it to sales in stores, tip at a restaurant, and even setting rates for your solution. The simplest way of calculating a discount is by using a calculator. You can also multiply the base price by the decimal form of the percentage, then, subtract the discount from the base price to get the sale price of the item.
Calculating discount using a calculator
You can use an online calculator to determine the final price after applying the percentage discount. All you’ll need to do is input the original price (or the base price) of the item and the percentage discount, then hit the calculate button. This will help you determine the discounted price fast.
Calculating the discount and sale price
First, you’ll need to convert the percentage discount into a decimal.
Let’s say you want to calculate the sale price of a dress that’s originally priced at $70. If the dress is 30% off, convert the 30% to a decimal by dividing it by 100.
So, 30/100 = 0.30
Then multiply the original price by the decimal
$70 x 0.30 = $21
Subtract the discount from the base price
$70 – $21 = $49
So the dress is on sale for $49
Estimating the discount and sale price
Round up the base price to the nearest ten (to make calculation easier).
So, if the original price for the dress is $69.89, round it up to $70
Then calculate 10% of the rounded price
10% of 70 = $7
Calculate the number of tens in the discount
For instance is the dress is 40% off, you’ll need to know many tens are in 40. Since 40%/10 = 4, there are 4 tens in 40.
Multiply the appropriate factor by 10% of the rounded price
From earlier 10% of 70 = $7
To determine how much 40% of 70 is, multiple $7 by 4 since there are 4 tens in 40:
7 x 4 = 28.
So, 40% of 70 is 28.
Subtract the discount from the rounded price to get the sale of the dress
70 – 28 = $42
Meaning a $69.89 dress that’s 40% off is about $42 on sale.
Completing sample problem
If a TV’s base price is $150, and has a 40% discount.
40% / 100 = 0.40
150 x 0.40 = 60
150 – 60 = 90
Sale price = $90
