In short: A POS system is the software and hardware that record every sale, issue its invoice, and update your stock and numbers in the same moment. It is not the card terminal that collects the money.
In this guide
A point of sale system, or POS system, is the software and hardware that record every sale at the counter: it issues the invoice, adds up the total and tax, and takes the item out of stock in the same moment. In this guide you will learn what a POS system is made of, how it works on an ordinary day in a Jordanian shop, how it differs from a card terminal, and what to ask before you choose one for your shop.
What a POS system is
A POS system is the software that issues the invoice, adds up the total, tax and discount, records how the customer paid, and takes the sold quantity out of stock, all in the same moment. It is the heart of selling in a shop. Every number you look at later, from today's sales to your profit, starts there.
What separates it from a calculator or a notebook is memory. It knows every item with its price and barcode, how many you sold, who bought on credit, and when the drawer was closed and by whom. That memory is what turns a day of selling into numbers you can understand and act on.
POS stands for Point of Sale. Our page on what POS stands for covers the term, its Arabic translation and how people use it.
What a POS system is made of
- The sales screen: add items by scanning or searching, then record the payment.
- The item list: every item with its name, selling price, cost price, barcode and category.
- Inventory: quantities go down with each sale and up with each supplier purchase invoice.
- Customers and debts: an account for each customer who buys on credit, with payments and due dates.
- Reports: today's sales, top sellers, peak hours and profit.
- Hardware: a phone, tablet, PC or POS terminal, with a thermal receipt printer, a barcode scanner and a cash drawer.
How it works on an ordinary day
A customer walks into a grocery in Jabal Al Hussein with three items. The cashier scans each barcode and the item appears with its name and price, then picks the payment method: cash, card, CliQ or the customer's tab. The receipt prints, and in a shop that uses national e-invoicing, the invoice goes to JoFotara and a QR code prints on it.
Behind the scenes, everything else happens without anyone noticing. Stock goes down, the amount is added to today's sales, and profit is worked out from the cost price. At closing time, the owner knows how much was sold, how much should be in the drawer, and what needs reordering tomorrow.
POS software versus a card terminal
In Jordan the word POS is used for two different things, which confuses a lot of people:
| POS software (the cashier app) | Card payment terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An app on a phone, tablet, PC or POS terminal | A device from your bank or a licensed payment provider |
| What it records | Items, quantities, price, discount, payment method and employee | The amount only |
| What it does with money | Nothing passes through it; it records how the sale was paid | Collects from the customer's card into your account after settlement |
| JoFotara | A connected app sends the invoice and prints the QR code | Not its job |
| You need it if | You sell and want to know what you sold and what you earned | Your customers pay by card |
Most shops use both: the software to know, the terminal to collect.
When a customer pays on a card terminal, their statement shows it as a POS purchase, and our guide to what POS purchase means on a bank statement explains that line.
What to ask before you choose a system
- Does it send each invoice to JoFotara itself and print the QR code on the receipt?
- Does selling carry on if the internet drops, and what happens to invoices during the outage?
- Which devices does it run on: phone, tablet, PC, POS terminal? Do they all share one account?
- What does it cost a year in dinars, with add-ons and hardware?
- Can you try it on real sales before you pay?
From costly hardware to the phone in your pocket
A few years ago a POS meant a dedicated computer, software installed in the shop, and a technician every time something broke. Today a smartphone is enough. The camera scans barcodes, the printer connects over Bluetooth, and your data lives on your account so you can see it from anywhere.
Ghalleh works this way. It runs on Android phones and tablets, on Android POS terminals that have Google Play, and on Windows PCs, with iPhone and iPad coming soon. Every device shares one account, so the cashier sells at the counter and the owner sees the sale on their phone the same moment. Ghalleh is available now on Google Play, with the Windows version on the download page.
Common questions
What is a POS system, in short?
It is the cashier software and its hardware: it records every sale, issues the invoice, works out the tax and takes the item out of stock. POS stands for Point of Sale.
What is the difference between a POS system and a POS machine?
The system is software that records sales and stock and issues invoices. The machine is a device that takes card payments through the bank. They can run together on one device, but they do different jobs.
Can a POS system run on a phone?
Yes. Many systems now run on a smartphone, scanning barcodes with the camera and printing to a Bluetooth printer. That suits small and medium shops, and you can add a PC and a barcode scanner as the shop grows.
Does a POS system work offline?
Some do. They keep sales and invoices on the device during an outage, then sync and send them to JoFotara when the connection returns. Ask before you choose, because some systems run in the browser and cannot sell without internet.