• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Springs Bargains

Colorado Springs Events, Deals, and Cheap Things to Do

Circa Real Estate Group
  • About
    • Contact Us
  • Things To Do
    • Free & Cheap Things To Do
    • Grand Openings
    • Summer Fun
  • Shopping
    • Thrift/Discount Store Directory
    • Farmers Markets & CSAs
    • Groceries
      • Coupon Policies & FAQ
  • Dining
    • Kids Eat Free Nights
  • Real Estate

How To Read Your Receipt: how percentage discounts are computed

Published March 1, 2010 by Carrie in Expired, Grocery Deals

There’s nothing better than walking out of the store and looking at the bottom of your receipt and seeing that you saved 50…60…70% or more!  But, how do they actually figure the percentage savings?  And what about the stores that don’t computer this for you, like Albertsons?

Let’s unravel another mystery about your grocery receipt: how the percentage savings number is computed.

Above you see the “Your Savings” section of a King Soopers receipt.  It says I used $7.75 in manufacturer coupons, had $1.25 in multiplied coupons, and $33.39 in Soopers card savings (which includes instant discounts and sale prices) for a total of $42.39 in savings.  They’ve determined that this was a savings of 54%.  The total I paid at checkout was $36.37.

So, without any discounts, coupons, or savings – if I just purchased everything at shelf price, my cost would have been $78.76.  This is the same as the price I paid at checkout ($36.37) plus the amount of savings I received ($42.39).

The formula for the percentage discount is this: Total Discounts divided by Total Shelf Price, then convert to a percentage.  So, in the above receipt, I took the Total Discounts ($42.39) divided by Total Shelf Price ($78.76) to get 54%

Here’s another example:

Total Shelf Price $100
Total Savings $25
Total Savings of $25 divided by Total Shelf Price of $100 = .25, which converts to 25%
Saving $25 off a $100 bill is saving 25%

So, if you shop at Albertsons and want to know your savings percentage, use this formula to figure it out.

One quick note on this: sometimes the register doesn’t really accurately calculate your true savings.  For example, if you buy meat or dairy markdowns, most stores don’t program this as a “discounted” price – instead, the discounted price goes into the computer as if it were the full price.

If you bought a dozen eggs on manager’s special at King Soopers for $1.99 that were originally $3.19, the machine doesn’t recognize this as a markdown from $3.19 to $1.99, it just goes in as if $1.99 was the regular price.

This is only with manager’s special or reduced for quick sale type items, but it’s worth noting because those are often significant savings percentages.  You know you saved the money, but the register doesn’t!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the How To Read Your Receipt series.  Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

  • E-Coupons
  • Scanned Coupons and Doubled Coupons
  • Sale Discounts and Regular Prices

We’ll soon be looking at Target receipts and some of the nuances there.

Don’t miss out! Get deals like this via email:
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
More Expired or Grocery Deals

2021 Fall Children’s Consignment Sale Schedule

99¢ Children’s Clothing Sale at Arc Thrift Stores on August 14th

Farmers Markets Start Soon: Schedule Updated for 2020

20% Off at Bingo Burger through Friday

Welcome to Springs Bargains, a service of our real estate business, Circa Real Estate Group! I’m Carrie, and since 2008 I’ve been sharing free and discounted ways to eat, play, and enjoy life in Colorado Springs.

Sale Pending ◇ $590,000

Sold in 3 Days ◇ $325,000

Sold in 2 Days ◇ $429,900

Sold in 2 Days ◇ $515,900

Circa Real Estate Team Members

Comments are closed because this post is older than 14 days.

Filed Under: Expired, Grocery Deals Tagged With: How To Read Your Grocery Receipt

Footer

Sell Your Home
Buy A Home
Build A Home

Copyright 2008 - 2023 Springs Bargains

a service of Circa Real Estate Group

Terms of Use | Privary Policy | Disclosure

Equal Housing Opportunity

Contact Springs Bargains

Subscribe for free