Ghalleh or the paper notebook: when is it time to switch?
The debt notebook on the counter is part of many shops in Jordan. Here is how it compares with Ghalleh, giving the notebook its due.
| Ghalleh | the paper notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| JoFotara e-invoicing | Every invoice goes to JoFotara, with a QR code on the receipt | Not connected, each invoice is issued by hand on the JoFotara portal |
| Speed at the counter | Barcode scanning by camera or scanner, receipt printed or on WhatsApp | Write each sale by hand, and a handwritten receipt if asked |
| Stock | Goes down with every sale, with a low-stock alert | You know it by looking at the shelves |
| Customer debts | Partial payments, due dates, statements and reminders on WhatsApp | A line per customer, crossed out and rewritten with every payment |
| Following up from outside the shop | Every sale shows on your phone the same second | Only visible when you are in the shop |
| Totals and profit | Today's total, profit and best sellers ready with no sums | Added up on a calculator at closing |
| Staff | An account per employee with permissions, and a log of sensitive actions | One notebook everyone writes in |
| Cost | In JOD: 5 a month, 35 a year or 79 once for three years, after 14 days free with no card | The price of a notebook and a pen |
| Good fit for | A shop that wants to know its takings every day, from anywhere | A small shop with familiar customers and a few debts |
This compares the common way shops use a paper debt and sales notebook.
Before you choose, see POS prices in Jordan and what JoFotara integration means in practice.
The notebook has stayed on the counter of many shops in Jordan for good reasons. It needs no charging and no internet, it opens in a second, and nobody has to learn it. Customers feel reassured when they see their name and the amount written in front of them, and the owner knows the regulars by name. For a small shop with a few debts and customers it knows well, the notebook does its job, and it costs almost nothing.
But a notebook reminds no one. A debt that is two months old only shows up if you leaf back through the pages, the total only exists after a session with the calculator, and if the notebook is lost or gets wet, the debts go with it. When you are away from the shop, you have no idea what you sold today. In Ghalleh the debt is recorded against the customer with the sale itself, you log partial payments and due dates, and you send statements and reminders on WhatsApp. You see total unpaid debts and today's takings on your phone from home, and every invoice goes to JoFotara.
Which one fits you?
The notebook is enough if
Your shop is small and you run it yourself, your credit customers are few and well known, and you do not need to issue invoices to JoFotara.
Ghalleh fits if
The debt lines have multiplied and chasing them is awkward, or someone sells for you now, and you want to see the day's takings and your debts from your phone.
Moving to Ghalleh
Go through the notebook and add each customer who owes you in Ghalleh, with only what they owe today. There is no need to copy every old line.
Start with the items you sell every day by scanning them with the phone camera or a scanner, or pick them from about 388 ready packaged supermarket items, then add the rest over time or from an Excel file.
Do not throw it away. Keep it for reference if a customer asks about an old account, and record everything new in Ghalleh from your first day on it.
Common questions
What is the simplest app to replace my shop notebook?
Ghalleh starts on the phone in your pocket. You add the customer and what they owe, record payments as they come in, and send their statement on WhatsApp. Get Ghalleh on Google Play: the trial is 14 days free with every feature and no card.
How do I move my notebook debts into Ghalleh?
Add each customer who owes you and record the balance they owe today. You do not need to copy every old line, and you keep the notebook for reference.
Can I send debt reminders to customers from Ghalleh?
Yes. You send the customer their statement and a reminder on WhatsApp, record partial payments and due dates, and see the total unpaid debts across the shop.
Open your shop on Ghalleh today.
Download the app, set up your shop yourself and try every feature free for 14 days, with no card.