Question

Over the last 12 month, Petco has lost a total of $1824.00 due to shoplifting. Write and solve an equation that shows how much money Petco lost each month. ( Since they have lost the money, remember that you need to use negative integers to represent the situation correctly.)

Answer 1

Take y=mx+b  
let x=years and 
y=lost money
then divide 1824 by 12 = 152
and since it is a loss make it into -152
and insert it for m as the constant rate of loss per month
your answer should be y=-152x.
if the store has a starting amount of money plug that into b.

Answer 2

To find the answer you have to divide the total by the number of months.
1,824.00 / 12 = 152

Therefore, Petco lost $152 dollars each month.