Remember comment cards? You know — those lined pieces of cardstock set next to a locked container with a narrow opening like an old-fashioned ballot box. Oddly, even with the instant bad-experience-sharing capacity of Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, few companies now offer customers more than a “Contact Us” link on their websites. Starbucks is one exception. On public radio’s The Story a few weeks ago, Dick Gordon interviewed a woman who has been filling out Starbucks comment cards every day for more than five years. Her coffee-related commentary evolved into relational reflections, musings on societal conundrums, even her plans for the future. Starbucks rarely replied, and only once did they forgo a form letter to address her remarks specifically.

Sherwin-Williams’ eagerness to relate to their customers is expressed in their tagline: “Ask Sherwin-Williams.” In June, I’m moving down the street and have been digitally painting my future living and dining rooms with the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer; Rock Bottom (#7062), Rookwood Red (#2802) and Garden Gate (#6167) are my latest favorites. And when I go to Sherwin-Williams later this summer to buy the paint, I’ll bring a few questions to ask, too, just like they say I should. For example, should I ignore my landlord’s request to NOT fill nail holes? How do you remove spilled paint from a wood floor? Also, can I come back with my dog Otis to find a color that matches him?

Then I got to thinking, what else can I ask Sherwin-Williams? For years I’ve been mulling over a variety of mysteries — maybe this is my chance to get some answers. For example, why are women still having to shave their legs with razors made only wide enough for the lower half of a man’s face? What makes someone, regardless how comely or homely, photogenic? Why do awesome things happen to sons of bitches? Also, if to live in the moment, to experience the present entirely, we must become no longer conscious of ourselves (we must let go of our self-consciousness), how do we recall having been fully present? What’s the biological basis for sentience? And finally, what dogs were let out and why must we know who did it?

Like the Starbucks comment-card writer, I may exploit the company’s invitation to interact with the brand. Still. They say, “Ask Sherwin-Williams.” And I just may — right after I buy a quart of Garden Gate.