Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has taken legal action against drugstores CVS and RITE AID for selling expired products. Undercover investigators were able to purchase expired milk, eggs, baby formula and medicine at chains throughout the state, including 21 stores in central New York and one in Cayuga County.

Cuomo has filed intent to pursue litigation against the companies for putting profit before public safety.

If it had been one or two stores it would be easy to blame a lazy shop clerk or poor management at the district level. But the number of statewide offenses makes crystal clear that this is a corporate offense.

But why would two prominent commercial chains jeopardize the franchises by selling ineffective and potentially unsafe food and drug items?

I suppose I can see how a struggling company might be compelled to make a poor judgment call. Let's face it; I have cough syrup in my cabinet from the Pleistocene epoch and it hasn't killed me yet. But this isn't a mom and pop grocery store. If a nationwide pharmacy can't sell a bottle of cough syrup within a year, it means people are taking their business elsewhere. If people are taking their business elsewhere, the chain is obviously floundering and would profit more from bankruptcy anyway.

It's sad because it speaks to more than just the present economy. I see a worrying trend, particularly when it comes to competition in the marketplace. A sparse number of select wholesale discounters seem to be taking over Auburn.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against corporations or even chain stores. I've written quite candidly about my desire for a Red Lobster in Auburn. But CVS and RITE AID don't have enough influence over their suppliers to compete with megastores like Walmart. This is a concern because when competition drops, complacency can lead to inefficiency and stagnation.

I'm not excusing CVS and RITE AID. But I do believe that they are struggling to exist in a monopolistic marketplace. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Consider, a well-known enterprise would have to be pretty desperate to jeopardize public safety.

I'm not sure how well either company will weather this storm. I am sure the penalties will be steep, particularly considering that baby formula is federally regulated. But when the smoke clears, I hope that someone of influence and authority will turn their attention to the bully corporations that are shrinking the marketplace. There is more to this story than spoiled milk.

Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com