A store owner buys clothes at wholesale and adds 80% to the wholesale price to set the retail price. The retail price of a

pair of pants is $36.00. What is the wholesale price?

1.80x = 36

x = 20

To find the wholesale price, we need to reverse the process. The retail price is obtained by adding 80% to the wholesale price.

Step 1: Let's assume the wholesale price is "W".

Step 2: The store owner adds 80% of the wholesale price to set the retail price. So, the retail price can be calculated as:

Retail Price = Wholesale Price + 80% of Wholesale Price

In formula form, this can be written as:

$36.00 = W + 0.8W

Step 3: Combine like terms on the right side of the equation:

$36.00 = 1.8W

Step 4: Divide both sides of the equation by 1.8 to solve for W:

W = $36.00 / 1.8

W = $20.00

Therefore, the wholesale price of a pair of pants is $20.00.