Answer:
the store owner pays $ 42 for the pair of jeans
Explanation:
we will make an equation that represents the cost of the item and the cost of sale
we will call x at the cost of the item we don't know the price
x * 125/100 = 52.50
Now that we have the equation we just have to clear the x
x = 52.50 / (125/100)
and finally we solve
x = 52.50 / 1.25
x = 42
the store owner pays $ 42 for the pair of jeans