Answer
$200$ dollars.
Work Step by Step
Step 1. Assume the original price is $x$ dollars; the first $40\%$ reduction will result in a new price of $x-0.4x=0.6x$
Step 2. The second $40\%$ reduction on the reduced price will result in the final price of $0.6x-0.4\cdot 0.6x=0.36x$
Step 3. Since the final price is $72$ dollars, we have $0.36x=72$ and $x=200$ dollars.