Choosing a salon POS: 12 questions to ask before you pay

When you are choosing a salon POS, don’t start with the feature list. Start with your busiest Saturday. A good salon till puts the right stylist on every service, gets 5% GST right without you thinking about it, takes UPI with the amount already filled in, keeps billing when the internet drops, and lets you take all your data with you if you ever leave. Below are the 12 questions to ask any vendor, what a good answer sounds like, and, so you can hold us to it, how Frizzi answers each one.

Before the demo: bring a real bill

Every POS looks fast when the salesperson drives it. Take one of your own messy bills from last week and ask them to make it in front of you, or better, make it yourself. Here is a test bill we use (sample numbers):

• Neha Kapoor, a member with 10% off services.
• Haircut ₹800 by Ravi, hair spa ₹1,200 by Pooja.
• She pays ₹1,000 by UPI and the rest in cash, and leaves a ₹100 tip for Pooja.

The right answer: ₹2,000 less 10% is ₹1,800. With prices including GST, the taxable value is ₹1,714.29, with ₹42.86 CGST and ₹42.86 SGST. For commission, Ravi’s share is ₹720 and Pooja’s ₹1,080 with GST, or ₹685.71 and ₹1,028.57 before it. The tip sits outside the bill’s GST and goes to Pooja. If the till can’t show you all of that in a minute or two, it will slow your desk down every day.

Questions about the bill itself

1. Can every service carry its own stylist?

A salon bill is not a shop bill. Two or three people often work on one client. If the till only records one “salesperson” per bill, your commission sheet goes back to a notebook. Ask how a combo like “Haircut + Beard ₹400” is split when two people do it.

2. Does it get salon GST right?

Salon services have been taxed at 5% (2.5% CGST + 2.5% SGST) since 22 September 2025, and the rate is mandatory: you can’t choose 18% with input credit. Products can still be 5% or 18%. Ask what the till does if someone picks the wrong rate, whether prices include GST or add it on top, and whether invoice numbers run per financial year without gaps. Our guide to the salon GST invoice format lists what must be on the bill, and GST on salon services covers the rate.

3. Does UPI show a QR with the amount filled in?

Clients mistype amounts on a static QR stand. A dynamic QR with the bill amount saves arguments. Ask where the money goes: straight to your bank, or through someone else’s account first. Ask if each branch can use its own UPI ID.

4. What happens when the internet goes?

It will go, usually on a wedding-season Sunday. Ask exactly which bills still work offline, what the client gets as a receipt, and how invoice numbers are given when the connection returns. “It works offline” is not an answer; “cash, UPI and card bills save on the device and get numbered later” is.

Receipts, printers and the hardware you already have

5. What receipts can it give, and on which printers?

Most salons want a 58 mm or 80 mm thermal slip at the desk, an A4 or PDF copy for a client who asks, and a receipt on WhatsApp. Ask for the printer models they have actually tried, and check yours before buying a new one.

6. Does it run on what you already own?

Ask if you need their tablet or their machine, or whether your desk computer, an old Android tablet or a phone will do. Ask about barcode scanner guns if you sell retail. Hardware bundles are often where the real cost hides.

Controls, and your data

7. Can a bill be deleted?

The right answer is no. Bills should be cancelled or refunded with a reason, with a GST credit note where needed, and the owner should hear about it. Also ask who can give how much discount, and what happens when reception goes over that limit. Pair this with a daily cash tally.

8. Can you export everything, any time?

Clients, bills, staff and stock are your business, not the vendor’s. Ask for a full export in a format Excel opens, ask whether it still works if you stop paying, and ask whether your accountant can get sales and GST out in a form they can use (see Tally for salons).

The real cost, per branch and per year

9. What is the price per branch, and what is extra?

Get the price per branch per month, plus GST, in writing. Then ask what costs more: extra staff logins, a second device, setup or training fees, SMS or WhatsApp, reports, a share of each bill. Multiply by your branches and by 12.

10. What does WhatsApp really cost?

Meta charges for WhatsApp Business Platform messages, by message and by type. Ask how many messages are included, whether reminders and offers are priced differently, and whose WhatsApp number they go from. Our WhatsApp guide for salons explains Meta’s side.

Support and the contract

11. Who helps you, and how?

Ask who you call on a Saturday evening, in which language, and whether help is included in the price. Ask to speak to the person who will set you up.

12. Are you locked in?

Ask the minimum term, the notice to leave, whether yearly plans are refundable, and what happens to your data on the last day. A monthly plan you can leave is worth more than a big yearly discount you regret.

How Frizzi answers the 12, honestly

Full prices are on the pricing page, and the what to look for page has a shorter checklist.

Try a salon POS before you talk to anyone

This is a working copy of the Frizzi till with sample data. Make the test bill above and see how many taps it takes.

Questions