I completed my quest for black Justin size 12 boots.

It wasn't easy.

Businesses are shy about advertising. They don't seem too interested in telling me what they have to sell.

No, I am not talking about the large successful chain stores. 

I am referring to the little guy. The small business with the great customer service I am looking for when I want something. The place I will feel comfortable in while shopping.

I saw the boots on a friend and wanted a pair. The problem is he was from Spokane and I didn't want to pay the extra money for gas to drive that far to buy boots.

I started my boot odyssey by trying to remember all of the places in Moses Lake that I thought sold boots. Well, the ones I could think of are large chain retail stores and they didn't have what I wanted. 

I opened the Columbia Basin Herald and looked for a company advertising boots. No luck. Now what?

I am hesitant to turn to the Internet. I know search engines make it easy to find pretty much anything and I know I can buy pretty much anything from an online store. But I don't like to shop by Internet. 

I am suspicious of clothing I cannot try on first. I wanted to buy expensive boots, but I didn't want them to arrive after a hard trip in shipping to find they pinch my toes or are too lose and will cause blisters. I wanted to know they fit perfectly before buying them.

I am also not too fond of waiting for things. I hoped to buy boots and leave with them on, not wait 3-5 days for shipping. I don't want the clearly marked box thrown on my doorstep just to see if they will be there when I get home from work.

I know I am not actually saving any money online. Shipping and handling fees take away from any discount price. I get more than a little mad at paying $20 for shipping to see a postage stamp of $2.83 on the package when it arrives. 

Washington state sales tax is now applied online too, so that discount is gone.

I want to walk into a store, try boots on and if I like them, buy them and take them home. I want to do this at one time, without paying for a tank of gas to get them.

We are back to my problem. Not a lot of businesses are advertising these days. It may sound like I am trying to drum up business for the newspaper. Nope. I am just expressing an opinion based on how I like to buy things. 

The lack of advertising makes it harder for me to buy things. No one seems to want to tell me about their products or remind me of their services when I need it. 

Don't be shy. Advertise. Big R did. They showed me what boots they carry and a whole lot more. 

Can anyone guess what I ran down and bought from them the day of their ad?

Bill Stevenson is the Columbia Basin Herald managing editor. He is happy to have his new boots, but hasn't worn them to work yet. There's hope he is a little bit country.