Imagine shopping for furniture at a store like Pottery Barn and instead of going to the counter with the info of the couch you want to purchase, an associate comes over to you, scans the couch with their iPhone or iPad, orders it, enters your shipping info, and then swipes your credit card. No lines, no hassle.

Sandeep Bahanote at Mashable describes such an experience in a recent blog post: http://mashable.com/2011/01/12/social-mobile-retail/#