Discounted Failure

In recent weeks I posed I simple mathematical word problem to several associates of mine.

Sally has a coupon for 15% off a $100.00 purse. Erica has a coupon for 10% off a pair of $100.00 jeans. When Erica arrives at the cash register she received an additional 5% off of her purchase. Sally did not receive any additional discount. Who paid more?


My associates looked at me like I was asking them a stupid question, in reality I was. However, out of those whom I asked in person 100% of the people got the question wrong. They answered, "It's a trick question Sally and Erica both received 15% off, they paid the same."

I hope that if you are reading this, you know that Erica actually paid more for her item.

Let's break it down.

Sally's purse after her discount is $85.00. Nice savings right? Erica who received two discounts, only received the additional 5% off of $90.00, making the purse $85.50 thus giving her a total of a 14.5% discount. While the difference may be negligible to most; to answer that they prices are the same is simply not logical.

So I challenge you, pose this question to your friends, family, and associates. Find out the scary truth for yourself.