Leetcode #1357: Apply Discount Every n Orders
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #1357 Apply Discount Every n Orders in Python and focus on the core idea that makes the solution efficient.
You will see the intuition, the step-by-step method, and a clean Python implementation you can use in interviews.

Problem Statement
There is a supermarket that is frequented by many customers. The products sold at the supermarket are represented as two parallel integer arrays products and prices, where the ith product has an ID of products[i] and a price of prices[i].
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Medium
- Premium: No
- Tags: Design, Array, Hash Table
Intuition
Fast membership checks and value lookups are the heart of this problem, which makes a hash map the natural choice.
By storing what we have already seen (or counts/indexes), we can answer the question in one pass without backtracking.
Approach
Scan the input once, using the map to detect when the condition is satisfied and to update state as you go.
This keeps the solution linear while remaining easy to explain in an interview setting.
Steps:
- Initialize a hash map for seen items or counts.
- Iterate through the input, querying/updating the map.
- Return the first valid result or the final computed value.
Example
Input
["Cashier","getBill","getBill","getBill","getBill","getBill","getBill","getBill"]
[[3,50,[1,2,3,4,5,6,7],[100,200,300,400,300,200,100]],[[1,2],[1,2]],[[3,7],[10,10]],[[1,2,3,4,5,6,7],[1,1,1,1,1,1,1]],[[4],[10]],[[7,3],[10,10]],[[7,5,3,1,6,4,2],[10,10,10,9,9,9,7]],[[2,3,5],[5,3,2]]]
Output
[null,500.0,4000.0,800.0,4000.0,4000.0,7350.0,2500.0]
Explanation
Cashier cashier = new Cashier(3,50,[1,2,3,4,5,6,7],[100,200,300,400,300,200,100]);
cashier.getBill([1,2],[1,2]); // return 500.0. 1st customer, no discount.
// bill = 1 * 100 + 2 * 200 = 500.
cashier.getBill([3,7],[10,10]); // return 4000.0. 2nd customer, no discount.
// bill = 10 * 300 + 10 * 100 = 4000.
cashier.getBill([1,2,3,4,5,6,7],[1,1,1,1,1,1,1]); // return 800.0. 3rd customer, 50% discount.
// Original bill = 1600
// Actual bill = 1600 * ((100 - 50) / 100) = 800.
cashier.getBill([4],[10]); // return 4000.0. 4th customer, no discount.
cashier.getBill([7,3],[10,10]); // return 4000.0. 5th customer, no discount.
cashier.getBill([7,5,3,1,6,4,2],[10,10,10,9,9,9,7]); // return 7350.0. 6th customer, 50% discount.
// Original bill = 14700, but with
// Actual bill = 14700 * ((100 - 50) / 100) = 7350.
cashier.getBill([2,3,5],[5,3,2]); // return 2500.0. 7th customer, no discount.
Python Solution
class Cashier:
def __init__(self, n: int, discount: int, products: List[int], prices: List[int]):
self.i = 0
self.n = n
self.discount = discount
self.d = {product: price for product, price in zip(products, prices)}
def getBill(self, product: List[int], amount: List[int]) -> float:
self.i += 1
discount = self.discount if self.i % self.n == 0 else 0
ans = 0
for p, a in zip(product, amount):
x = self.d[p] * a
ans += x - (discount * x) / 100
return ans
# Your Cashier object will be instantiated and called as such:
# obj = Cashier(n, discount, products, prices)
# param_1 = obj.getBill(product,amount)
Complexity
The time complexity is O(n). The space complexity is .
Edge Cases and Pitfalls
Watch for boundary values, empty inputs, and duplicate values where applicable. If the problem involves ordering or constraints, confirm the invariant is preserved at every step.
Summary
This Python solution focuses on the essential structure of the problem and keeps the implementation interview-friendly while meeting the constraints.