One thing I've learned is it's not about the size of the man in the fight, but the size of the fight in the man. What does that mean? If you have thick skin, good judgement, good communication, and mental strength, you'd do just fine as a TPS.
The chances you'll put your hands on someone at Target as a TPS are pretty slim. Your judgement and verbal de-escalation skills are a lot more important.
Your day will mostly consist of taking inventory counts, putting security tools on merchandise, working with the front to get guest receipts printed, checking the parking lot, reviewing CCTV footage to document theft, and standing at the front doors. You may recover merchandise only in certain situations, none of which will involve you apprehending someone. If you're lucky and you have an APS (plainclothes AP tm), you'll get to help them with apprehensions. As for your safety, I wouldn't be concerned. Target has AP directives that neutralize a lot of the risks associated with loss prevention work. Of course there's always an inherent risk to dealing with the crazies. Your judgement plays a big role in your personal safety, more so than the AP directives. Every now and then you'll have to deal with domestic disturbances and disturbed panhandlers.
Imo, being TPS is great LP experience. Definitely looks good on a resume as Target has some pretty kickass AP tools. Definitely the best gig in the store.