Answer: The price of the supplies before the discount is $237.5.
Step-by-step explanation: Given that a discount of 16% saved Jackie $38 on office supplies.
We are to find the price of the supplies before the discount.
Let $x be the price of the supplies before the discount.
Then, according to the given information, we have
[tex]16\%\times x=38\\\\\\\Rightarrow \dfrac{16}{100}\times x=38\\\\\Rightarrow 16x=3800\\\\\Rightarrow x=\dfrac{3800}{16}\\\\\Rightarrow x=237.5.[/tex]
Thus, the price of the supplies before the discount is $237.5.