Basic numeracy in Waitrose

the_reductionist

Beware the discounted cookies promoted all over the coffee shop in Waitrose! Original price £1.25 now with 20% off so should be £1.00


But no! Hang on a minute, Waitrose makes this discounted price £1.05! What kind of strange maths is this? Yes I know it's only 5p but all those 5ps add up and more to the point - customers are being diddled out of their money by a misleading promotion. This wasn't some chalked up affair either but an expensive looking full colour poster so I imagine, perhaps, a national promotion.


I did inform Waitrose customer service of this but a week later and I have had no reply. That's just the way it crumbles I suppose....:(

coffeehound

Reminds me of hearing a senior contracts manager of a large company having it explained to them by a patient underling why taking 20% off the retail price doesn't give you the pre-VAT price

the_reductionist

coffeehound wrote: »

Reminds me of hearing a senior contracts manager of a large company having it explained to them by a patient underling why taking 20% off the retail price doesn't give you the pre-VAT price

Yes and I once took two shirts both with 20% off to the till in Debenhams and the girl asked her supervisor whether that meant I got 40% off. I was hoping she was going to say yes and I would have quickly got 3 more

VfM4meplse

the_reductionist wrote: »

Beware the discounted cookies promoted all over the coffee shop in Waitrose! Original price £1.25 now with 20% off so should be £1.00

Confusing 20% with 20p. Probably just a central programming error and hopefully was fixed quickly?

Now for some tough talking: spending £1 on a single cookie?

RainbowDrops

20% off £1.25 should be 93p ish?

VfM4meplse

RainbowDrops wrote: »

20% off £1.25 should be 93p ish?

12.5p x 2 = 25p. Where do you get the extra 7p from?

the_reductionist

Yup £1 each but they are the big saucer size ones with lots of delicious ingredients. Used to splash out when the coffee was free but bit more frugal now.

RainbowDrops

VfM4meplse wrote: »

12.5p x 2 = 25p. Where do you get the extra 7p from?

No idea :rotfl:
Maybe I should work for Waitrose?:D

Cornucopia

75% of £1.25 is just over 93p? It's actually 80% that is needed.

RainbowDrops

Cornucopia wrote: »

75% of £1.25 is just over 93p? It's actually 80% that is needed.

Ah, maybe I was trying to do 25% off. Brain fail.

Cornucopia

There is a relationship there with 25%...


Your 20% off becomes 25% to go back on again.

£1.25 less 20% = £1

£1 plus 25% = £1.25


I imagine that the exact mathematical reason is something to with it being 4/5 (four-fifths) to take the amount off, and 5/4 to put it back on again.