Loss Prevention, Retail Security, Electronic Article Surveillance. These are all terms commonly bandied about while most people do not know what they mean. Loss prevention industry insiders may or may not know the specific definitions of these terms. Many LP professionals say these terms again and again with out truly thinking about what it is they are saying. In order to understand these phrases combined meanings it is useful to take a look at there meaning on a word by word basis.

Loss prevention:

Loss = The harm or suffering caused by losing something.

Prevention = The act of preventing something or impeding something.

Retail Security:

Retail = The sale of goods or commodities to the public consumers in small quantities.

Security = Freedom from risk or danger; State of safety.

Electronic Article Surveillance:

Electronic = Anything of or involving the controlled conduction of electrons and/or a variety of charge carriers.

Article = An individual thing or element of a class; a particular object or item like an article of clothing or food.

Surveillance = Close scrutiny or observation of a person or group, particularly one under suspicion.

When you take these words and put them together their individual meanings are expanded and magnified. These terms encompass elements of both lingual derivational definition and common usage implications.

Loss prevention = Preventing the harm to the bottom line caused by lost money, goods, etc. in a business context.

Retail Security = The process by which goods are sold to the public in a secure fashion for both the consumer and store proprietor, preventing theft or harm.

Electronic Article Surveillance = Electronically powered machines and accessories that can alert a retailer if merchandise is being removed from the store.