Sears to give iPads, iPods to employees in 450 stores

Sears will soon outfit its employees in 450 stores with iPads and iPod touch devices. Sears sales associates will use the devices to help customers find product information, check inventory, and make purchases without having to be tethered to a cash register. Sears will also offer free Wi-Fi to customers so they can use their own smartphone devices in the store.

Sears is following in the footsteps of other retailers like Nordstrom, Home Depot and Urban Outfitters which have announced plans to roll out iOS devices in their stores. Lowes has also announced it'll give out 42,000 iPhones to its employees which will be used to ring up purchases and pull down product information.

Even small retailers are shelling out cash to adopt this technology. Clothing retailer Pacific Sun has plans to roll out 300 iPads now and 600 more by next year. The clothing retailer predicts each device will let its employees handle five additional transactions each day, an uptick in sales that'll quickly pay for the devices.