Item #2 receives the discount.
The percentage discount applied to Item #2.
Stacked bar chart comparing regular price vs. BOGO deal price for both items.
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Regular Price Item #1 | $49.99 |
| Regular Price Item #2 | $39.99 |
| Regular Price Both Items | $89.98 |
| BOGO Price Item #1 | $49.99 |
| BOGO Price Item #2 | $10.00 |
| BOGO Price Both Items | $59.99 |
| Total Savings | $29.99 |
| Actual Percent Savings | 33.33% |
In a BOGO X% Off deal, you pay full price for the first item and receive a custom percentage discount on the second item. Common variations include 25% off, 50% off, and 75% off the second item. The percentage only applies to the second item — the first item is always full price.
This means your actual total savings is always less than the advertised percentage. For example, “Buy one get the second 75% off” on two $100 items saves you $75 out of $200 total — a true 37.5% discount, not 75%.
A shoe store offers “Buy One Pair, Get the Second Pair 75% Off.” Pair #1 costs $100 and Pair #2 costs $80. What do you actually pay?
The store advertises 75% off, but your real savings on the total purchase is only 33.33%.
Here is how different BOGO percentages translate to actual savings when both items cost the same price:
| Advertised Deal | True Savings |
|---|---|
| BOGO 25% Off | 12.5% |
| BOGO 50% Off (Half Off) | 25.0% |
| BOGO 75% Off | 37.5% |
| BOGO 100% Off (Free) | 50.0% |
The true savings is always exactly half the advertised percentage when items are equal-priced. With different prices, it is even lower.
Buy One Get One X% Off means you pay full price for the first item and receive a specific percentage discount on the second item. For example, “Buy one get the second 75% off” means the second item costs only 25% of its regular price.
Multiply the second item's price by the discount percentage to find the discount amount. Subtract that from the combined regular price of both items. Then divide the total savings by the combined regular price and multiply by 100 for the true percentage.
BOGO 75% off is a strong promotion. With two equal-priced items at $100 each, you pay $100 + $25 = $125 instead of $200 — a true 37.5% savings. It falls between BOGO Half Off (25% true savings) and BOGO Free (50% true savings).
A regular percent off sale discounts every item you buy. BOGO percent off only discounts the second item while the first stays at full price. This means your actual total savings is always lower than the advertised percentage.
The percentage discount is applied to the second item, which is typically the cheaper one. Retailers structure it this way to minimize their markdown. To maximize your savings, pick a second item that is as close in price to the first as possible.