What you’ll learn to do: Solve sales tax, commission, and discount applications

If you’re working on commission, you’ll need a good understanding of percentages.

Janet is excited to start her new job selling shoes at an upscale department store. The only thing she’s a little nervous about is that her pay will be based on commission. She needs to make sure she’ll earn enough money to cover her budget, so she wants to figure out how much she’ll have to sell to cover her costs of living. In order to do this, Janet needs to understand how to work with percentages in real-life situations. The same skills Janet can use to solve her problem can also help you figure out problems involving sales tax, discounts, and mark-ups. Let’s explore these real-life applications of percentages in this section.

Before you get started in this module, try a few practice problems and review prior concepts.