A new client asks what a cut costs. A customer wants to know if a deep clean is priced by the room or by the hour. A price list answers both before anyone has to ask, on the wall, on the counter or in a message. This guide covers how to set out a price list for a service business, like a salon, a barber, a cleaner or a repair shop, then how to make one on your iPhone with Flyer Cat, our flyer, menu and price list maker.
What goes on a price list
A price list is shorter than most people expect. It needs:
- Your business name at the top, and a line saying what you do, like "Hair & beauty price list" or "Phone and laptop repairs".
- Groups of services. Cuts, colour, beauty. Or regular clean, deep clean, extras. Or screens, batteries, data. Put the groups in the order customers usually ask.
- One service per line, with its price. Use the name customers use, not your internal one.
- A short note where the price needs one: what's included ("wash and blow-dry included"), how long it takes ("about 45 min"), or who it's for ("under 12").
- How to book or reach you at the bottom: your days and hours, address, phone, and your booking page if you have one.
Leave out anything you'd have to explain at the till. If a line needs a paragraph, it may belong on an estimate instead.
Write prices the way you charge
Service prices come in a few shapes. Pick the one that matches how you really charge, and use it the same way on every line.
- Fixed: "Men's cut 28". Use it when the job is always the same.
- From: "Full colour from 75". Good when the price depends on length, size or condition. Say what changes it in the note, if you can.
- Per unit: "per hour", "per room", "per window". Put the unit right after the price so nobody guesses.
- On request: for jobs you always quote. Better to say so than to leave the line out.
Write the currency the same way throughout, and decide whether you'll use "from" or a range before you start. If your rates have rules, such as a call-out charge or a minimum, a short line at the bottom keeps them in sight.
Make it in Flyer Cat
Price lists live in Flyer Cat's Menus job. It calls everything a menu, but the editor fits a price list as well: each line has a name, a price and an optional description.
- Open Menus. On the What are you making? screen, tap Menus. Flyer Cat remembers your choice and opens straight into that job next time. If it opens in another job, tap the grid button at the top left of its Home to get back to the choice.
- Start from the Salon price list. Under Start from a sample, tap Salon price list. It's a finished hair and beauty list in the Modern design, with sections for Cuts, Colour and Beauty and "from" prices on the jobs that vary. Running a different trade? Keep the layout and rename the sections, or tap Blank menu to start from nothing.
- Fill in the top. On the Menu tab, under Top of the menu, type your business name in Title or business name, add a Subtitle (optional), and tap Add logo to pick yours from Photos.
- Add your services. Type each section's name, then tap Add item for every service: Item name, Price, and Description (optional) for the note. The price is plain text, so "28", "from 75" and "45 per hour" all print exactly as you type them. Tap Add section for the next group.
- Put booking details at the bottom. Under Bottom of the menu, type your hours, address and phone. They print at the end of the last page.
The + Tag marks are mostly for food: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and spicy. On a price list, New is the useful one. It prints as NEW next to a service you've just added.
The title, subtitle, bottom line and each service that came with the sample show a small Sample mark until you change them. When you tap Print & share, Flyer Cat lists anything still left from the sample under Still from the sample, so a made-up price or address doesn't print as yours. Pick Remove them and continue, Go back and change them or They're mine, print as is.
Keep your prices up to date
A price list goes out of date the day your prices change, so keep the old one as well as the new one. In My Menus, tap ⋯ on your list and pick Duplicate, then edit the copy. The old version stays as it was. Duplicate is also handy for a second location or a separate list for one kind of customer.
To change a price, tap it. The whole price is selected, so whatever you type replaces it. Every change is saved as you type. Then print again, and take the old copies down.
Put it where customers look
On the Design tab, pick a Size:
- On the wall or at the counter: Letter or A4.
- As a handout or for the reception desk: A6 card.
When you tap Print & share, you can Print, Share PDF, Save to Photos or Share image. The images are handy for messages and social posts, one picture per page.
To let people book from the printed list, go to the Design tab, turn on QR code on the menu and type your booking page or website. The code holds your own link, with no redirect in between.
After the price list
Advertising a new service or an open day? See how to make a flyer on iPhone. Quoting a bigger job? See how to make an estimate on iPhone. Rewarding regulars? See how to make punch cards for your business. Selling gift vouchers? See how to make a gift certificate on iPhone.
What it costs
In Menus, the samples, the five designs, colours, your logo, every page size, long lists, printing, the PDF, images, the QR code and My Menus are free. There's no watermark: nothing is printed on your list except your list. There are no ads, no trial, no sign-up and no account. Flyer Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase, and one purchase covers every job in the app. For menus and price lists it adds table tents, two to a sheet of Letter or A4, and three more designs: Diner, Garden and Noir. More on the Flyer Cat page.
Your menus and logo are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them.
Quick answers
How do I make a price list for free?
In Flyer Cat, tap Menus, start from the Salon price list or a blank menu, type your services and prices, then print it or share it as a PDF or image. It's free, with no watermark.
Should I write "from" prices?
Use them for jobs where the price depends on the job, and say what changes it in the note. For jobs that are always the same, a fixed price is clearer.
How often should I update my price list?
Whenever a price changes. Duplicate the old list first, so you still have it.
Try Flyer Cat
Try Flyer Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/flyer-cat