Unmasking a Deal

Next time a "50% off" sign tempts you, run two quick steps.

1. Check one rival price. If it is $100 here after "50% off from $200" but $95 most places, the discount is theater. The real baseline is $95.
2. Multiply any stacked cut. 30% off, then an extra 20% at the till, feels like 50%. Compute 0.70 × 0.80 = 0.56, so you saved 44%.

Do this on a few buys and you stop chasing headline percentages and start chasing final dollars.