SHOP TALK : Bookstores Compete for Sales With Price Cuts : Discounts at chains can range from 10% to 50% off hardcover or paperbacks. But specialty shops may still offer the best selections.

We still have memories of the good old days when Ventura County folks could just head over to the local bookseller to check out the latest releases, or to browse the shelves.

Not a whole lot of thought went into it.

Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, the book-selling business has entered a new phase around the county. This is particularly true in the west end, where the arrival of a Barnes & Noble franchise stirred things up. Not only does the establishment give people a quality book-buying option, but it is also forcing them to confront some important shopping issues.

These days, before book buyers choose a bookstore, they need to run through a checklist: Are they looking for discount prices? Are they interested in a particular subject matter? What kind of setting do they prefer?

We visited a local Crown Books, Waldenbooks, B. Dalton Bookseller and, of course, the Barnes & Noble in Ventura to get a rundown of their discount offers.

At Barnes & Noble, prices on almost all hardcover books are slashed 20%, some selected books are marked down 30%, and New York Times bestsellers are cut 20% (paperback) and 30% (hardcover). Danielle Steele’s “Accident” was priced at 30% below the original $23.95 asking price. “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years” was also 30% below its $20 tag.

Barnes & Noble also has good-sized budget--”Fiction Under $5” and “Bargain Book”--sections. We found Tracy Kidder’s “Among Schoolchildren” priced at $3.98 (down from $19.95). We also spotted a copy of “Jimmy Stewart and His Poems” for $3.99 (down about $6 from its original price).

And, by the way, the store opened a cafe earlier this week.

At Crown Books, New York Times bestsellers are 40% off for hardback fiction and nonfiction. We found “Accident” priced at $14.37 and “Having Our Say” at $12. The store also knocks 25% off paperback fiction and nonfiction listed in the Top 15 of the bestseller list. General hardbacks are discounted 20% to 50%, children’s books are priced at 20% off, and magazine prices are cut 10%.

As for the remainder racks, they are hard to miss. There are “Books Near $3,” “Books Near $4” and “Books Near $5.”

If you haven’t already started taking notes, now might be a good time to begin.

Do you know what it means to be a “Preferred Reader” at Waldenbooks? It means that you take 10% off just about any price in the store--for a $10 annual fee. Membership also means that you can accumulate “purchase points.” When you’ve spent $100, you get a $5 certificate.

The store has “Picks of the Week” discounted 15%, 25% and 50%. Many new fiction and nonfiction bestsellers are cut 25%. The “Special Value” table has books as low as about $2.98 hardcover. There are also “Bargain Blowouts Under $5” and “Bargain Value” tables.

One store’s “Preferred Reader” is another’s “Book$aver.” For $10 a year, membership to the B. Dalton “Book$avers Club” will allow you to subtract 10% from the price of your purchases, including sale books. Regular customers can take 25% to 50% off hardback bestsellers (Steele’s “Accident” is at the low end). There is also a 50% off table, a “$5.98 and Under” table and a “Special Value” table.

So now we’ve talked discounts from the chains, let’s talk selection. If you know what you want and you want the largest selection, your best bet may be a specialty shop.

We checked the Adventures for Kids children’s bookstore in Ventura, where the selection is enormous. There are shelves for various school subjects--science, social studies--a shelf for hobbies, one for technology and one for Caldecott winners, among others.

You may not find the everyday discounts at these specialty shops, but you’re going to have your pick of titles.

It’s too late for Valentine’s Day, but . . . .

Look for the new Conroy’s Florist at 3900 Thousand Oaks Blvd. (across from the North Ranch Mall) in Westlake to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, courtesy of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. The shop has been open for a little more than two weeks.

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Speaking of new stores, Smart & Final just opened an outlet at 2750 Main St., Ventura, where the Sears surplus center used to be.