I COULD have had blueberry, toffee, chocolate, even apple crumble flavour. In fact I could have chosen any variety as long as I bought a muffin.

I like muffins, but what I really wanted was an assortment of cakes from which to choose.

A blustery Saturday afternoon and I find myself seeking sanctuary from hordes of pre-Christmas shoppers. I am precariously perched on a trendy chrome stool in one of those "cafe society" coffee shops which has infiltrated everywhere in recent years.

A wasted morning trudging past one soul-devoid store after another, observed by featureless mannequins cloaked in over-priced designer cloth.

Why did the thought possess me to brave this procession of eager buyers streaming through an out-of-town retail park?

It's an interesting thought that you are always guaranteed to locate one of these red brick monoculture monoliths, you simply search for the guiding star or in this case the gaudy yellow McDonald's icon.

As I sip my cappuccino I cannot shake the feeling that there is a disturbing creed which is seeping through our society today. It is the new religion. It is "bland-ism". We live in the midst of an age of uniformity, believing we have a greater array of options than ever when, in reality, we don't; we just make our selection from more of the same.

We now worship in vast cathedrals of consumerism, we glean our knowledge from a tabloid bible and it's all overseen by the almighty god of advertising.

Sarah Rawden,

Field Lane,

Wistow, Selby.

...AFTER late night shopping one Thursday evening, I was horrified to discover the gents' toilets were locked at 7.45pm. Thank god for Marks & Spencer!

Come on City of York Council, this is a facility that should be available to coincide with late shopping! As it was I had an alternative or I may have been forced to go for a pint and use a pub's toilet facilities.

Alf Church,

Severus Avenue,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 10:12 Wednesday, November 26, 2003