SHOP TALK : Surveying the Options Can Take the Pain Out of Selecting Those Toys : The biggest discounts can mean the longest lines and lack of service. The Imaginarium is competitive, yet child-friendly.

Thanksgiving is the final wake-up call to shoppers with children. Just one month left until Christmas. Toys need to be wrapped, ribboned and waiting to meet our children’s glee.

In canvassing the local toy scene it turned out that the big surprise was Imaginarium, which was also the most convenient and fun. We’ll tell you the reasons after a look at some of the other options.

First we stopped at “Toys R Us,” the world’s biggest toy store with all that that entails. This is a cavernous supermarket of toys at considerable markdowns. If you’re shopping with small children, beware this trip might turn into the Nightmare before Christmas: Children are not supposed to try out the toys here; finding help may be next to impossible; and the lines to check out are long enough to cause swooning and weeping in adults and children alike.

Unfortunately, some of the best toys are missing: European toy makers like Brio, Lego and Playmobil are not sold here. And when you finally do get your toys to the car, you’ll be aghast to realize you have hours of wrapping ahead of you.

If you are a member of the Price Club, you’ll want to check out their toy section. In a warehouse colder than the North Pole, you’ll find great deals on books and videocassettes, with lots of the ever-popular Barney and Disney choices. There are also great electronic toys and learning aids. The discounts are deep.

A play school electronic tape recorder was $29.99. There was a karaoke sing-a-long called “Koolshades” by Alaron for $29.98. Slumber party sleeping bags with Aladdin, Jurassic Park and Show White themes were $22.99.

Disney items are rarely found at discount, so an “Aladdin Cave of Wonders Deluxe Gift Set” from $19.99 and Mattel’s “Jasmine with Fashions Gift Pack” at $24.99 are rare finds.

Also at Price Club, there’s a Smithsonian First Chemistry Set (“The Safest Set Made”) for $28.99. For ages 10 and up, this kit includes environmental experiments. Your future scientist can test for acid rain, ozone and carbon monoxide.

Target and K mart have great toy deals on advertised specials. They often have popular toys offered at below or near cost as a “lost leader,” a hook to bring in customers. But beware of the allure of bargains. These stores bank on your purchasing more than you’d planned to. It can be a test of your self-control.

Toy shopping with kids ought to be fun. Big surprise: Some toy stores think kids and toys are a bad mix. What a relief to find a child-friendly place.

Only Imaginarium, located in The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, seemed to expect and even enjoy children in the store. Kids are welcome to crash about in plastic cars and get grubby hands on a lovely wooden train set by Brio.

There were no withering glances from the sales clerks. The kids were even greeted with a big purple sticker to wear as name tags while they played.

Imaginarium has a great selection of popular and high quality toys. The emphasis here is on creativity and imagination. Best of all, the prices are competitive. Their policy of “price matching” means that if you see the toy cheaper somewhere else, the sales people at Imaginarium will match that price.

And the service is great. We had no problem exchanging a Playschool dollhouse for another model by Plan Toys--and this was done without a receipt. The sales clerk even opened a few boxes so we could choose the wallpaper we liked best. (This has got to be above and beyond the call of good customer service!)

Finally, no more sleepless Christmas Eves for Mom and Dad because the toys are beautifully wrapped, free of charge.

Julie Sawyer, an experienced shopper, writes the Shop Talk column regularly in Ventura Life. Want to know where to find the best stuff at the best price? Write to her at 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura 93003, or send faxes to 658-5576.