The short answer
Retail security is the broader effort to protect people, property, and operations in a store or shopping environment. It may include a visible officer, entrance or parking-lot patrols, opening and closing support, emergency response, access control, incident documentation, and coordination with management or police. Loss prevention focuses more specifically on reducing inventory and financial loss from shoplifting, internal theft, fraud, process failures, and administrative errors.
What to know
The functions overlap, but they are not identical. A uniformed security officer may deter misconduct, observe behavior, respond under store policy, and preserve factual information. A loss-prevention program also relies on inventory controls, point-of-sale review, employee procedures, audits, product placement, and trained investigators or specialists. Security personnel should not be asked to improvise detention or search procedures; those actions carry legal and safety risks and must follow Arizona law, company policy, and role-specific training.
The strongest retail plan defines who is responsible for observation, customer contact, evidence preservation, emergency calls, and internal reporting. Arrow offers retail security services, but a retailer should confirm whether the proposed assignment is visible security, dedicated loss prevention, or a coordinated combination before contracting.