It does sound like a question that invites you to read more into it, than what's there in the first place.
Other than a transparent psychological slant, it does just come down to the numbers... after all discounts are taken--whether one or more--the final net cost of the item is all that matters.
One could argue that there's a psychological opportunity to exploit; e.g. a seller offering a 10-10-10 series discount might sound to the unwitting buyer like a 30% discount, instead of the 27.1% discount that it really is. But any buyer who can't see through that play shouldn't be buying in the first place. So I really can't see your assignment question having this aspect in mind.
You could, if you wanted, describe a situation in which a series discount arrangement is used to provide incremental discounts to a buyer, as successive benchmarks are reached. For example, the first 100 widgets are at list price. Place an order for > 100, and you get 10% off the amount over 100. Buy over 130, say, and you not only get the 10% off from the excess over 100, but also an additional 10% on any amount over 130. (Of course, the additional 10% on the excess over 130 would have to be defined as 10% off the discounted price that's in effect for > 100, in order to be a true 'series' discount.)
I'm with you... I don't see a whole lot that can be written on the topic. Maybe my 2 cents here will give you something to run with. Cheers!
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