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About The Bay: Shopping The America's Cup Way

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — I took my wife out to the America's Cup village at Pier 27 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. There were no races that day, but it's clear who these races are geared to. The sails are big billboards for sponsors.

"Louis Vuitton, Prada, Oracle, Emirates," said KCBS Anchor Janice Wright (Mike Sugerman's wife).

It's the Louis Vuitton Cup they're vying for. I can't say I've ever shopped there, or at any of those places or for any of those things, but I wondered what it would be like if we went shopping as America's Cup would like us to.

Louis Vuitton at the corner of Stockton and Geary in Union Square is a $25 billion company and is rated the world's most valuable luxury brand.

About The Bay: Shopping The America's Cup Way

I found a pair of what I'd call boat shoes for $675. You can also find a pair of flip flops for $545.

In fact, the cheapest thing I could find was a tie for $225.

And over at Prada, just down the street I found something you'd see Leave It To Beaver's June Cleaver wearing, although I don't think she'd pay $1,900

Emirates Airlines flies once a day out of SFO to Dubai and then on to other places.

If you want to fly out of San Francisco with them for the least amount of money possible, you'd have to go to Bangalore, India. That would cost you $1,400 a seat.

Finally, Oracle sells corporate databases, but I don't know exactly what those are.

Apparently the advertising isn't paying off. Louis Vuitton paid $10 million to call the cup its own and wants $3 million back. I guess they aren't getting enough sales from their billboard sails.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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