10:09am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Reader's letter
AS A maths teacher, I’m not so sure the boasts made in the windows of the new TKMaxx are as impressive as they seem.
They promise prices are “always up to 60 per cent less”. In other words, they are “always equal to or below 60 per cent”. Discounts of 50 per cent, 40 per cent, 30 per cent… all of these are equal to or below 60 per cent. In fact, a discount of nought per cent – no discount at all – is covered by the not-so-enticing claim.
But it gets worse. If TKMaxx charge more than other shops, this is mathematically the same as a negative discount. So charging ten per cent more is a negative ten per cent discount.
As every schoolchild knows, all negative numbers lie to the left of all positive numbers on the number line, so all negative numbers are less than all positive numbers.
This means that negative ten per cent is less than 60 per cent, and so charging ten per cent more is included in the possibilities TKMaxx are trying to tempt you with. In fact, charging 100 per cent more is included, as this is a negative 100 per cent discount and that’s less than 60 per cent.
Matthew Handy, Head of mathematics, Dotmaths, York Hub, Peter Lane, York.
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