Formula
What this discount calculator does
Computes shopping discount math across four common scenarios that confuse most shoppers: (1) Simple percentage discount on a single item. (2) Stacked discounts where two discounts apply sequentially (e.g., sale + coupon). (3) Reverse discount to find the original price from the final + discount %. (4) Buy X Get Y free (BOGO) deals, computing the effective discount and price-per-item. All modes work in any currency.
The four discount scenarios
Simple: '25% off this 500 SAR item' → pay 375, save 125. Stacked: '30% sale + 10% extra with coupon' on a 500 SAR item → final price 315 SAR, NOT 60% off (that would be 200). Stacked discounts compound multiplicatively (0.7 × 0.9 = 0.63, so you save 37%, not 40%). Reverse: 'I paid 375 SAR after 25% off, what was the original?' → 500 SAR. Useful when a sticker shows the discounted price only. BOGO: 'Buy 3 Get 1 Free' on 100 SAR items → pay 300 for 4 items, effective discount = 1/4 = 25%, price per item = 75 SAR.
Why stacked discounts feel disappointing
Most shoppers add stacked discounts: '30% + 10% = 40% off!' The actual math: final = price × 0.7 × 0.9 = price × 0.63 = 37% off. The gap (3%) feels small but it's significant on big purchases - on a 5,000 SAR purchase, 40% would be 3,000 SAR but the actual stacked discount is 1,850 SAR. The reason: the second discount applies to the ALREADY-DISCOUNTED price, not the original. Retailers know this and use stacked promotions to advertise high-sounding total discounts that produce smaller actual savings.
Reverse discount - verifying claims
Used to: (1) Verify a claimed discount: 'was 500, now 375' → calculator confirms that's 25% off (or flags inconsistency). (2) Find original from a sticker that only shows the final price plus '% off' badge. (3) Strip VAT from a tax-included price: enter the VAT-inclusive price, set discount % to 15% (Saudi) or 5% (UAE), the 'original' is the pre-VAT price. (4) Decode a complex promotion's true value when you only see the discounted price.
BOGO deals - when they're actually good
Common BOGO structures and their true discounts: Buy 1 Get 1 Free (BOGO classic) = 50% off. Buy 2 Get 1 Free = 33% off (1 of 3). Buy 3 Get 1 Free = 25% off. Buy 4 Get 1 Free = 20% off. BOGO is only a good deal if you USE the free items - otherwise the effective discount on what you actually need is 0%. Tip: BOGO is best on perishables you buy regularly (e.g., 'Buy 2 packs of dates, get 1 free') and worst on items you only need one of (you end up with surplus).
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