A study by MEIC (Ministry of Industry and Commerce) has shown that prices vary widely among toy stores this year.
For example, a 429% difference was found in Monopoly games, that cost from as little as 2,420 Colones to 12,809 Colones.  Barbie Dolls varied by as much as $10 from one store to another. 

So you’d better shop and compare, or you’ll be pouting and crying later!

ICE agencies and cell phone vendors were swamped yesterday and today as the new network was officially received at 7 pm Monday by ICE officials. 250,000 lines went on sale in 800 official distribution points nationwide.  Almost every store, agency and booth had lines of people outside.   Another 350,000 lines will be available by the end of January. 

The frenzy is due to people believing that if they don’t get their line right away, it will go to someone else, even though ICE has said that only the first 250,000 numbers on the waiting list will be fulfilled now.   There are 2 more contracts for lines open currently. Bids will be taken by the ICE on a network of 400,000 lines and another of 600,000.  The ICE president, Pablo Cob said that depending on demand, the board of directors may increase the licitation by 200,000 lines and 300,000 lines respectively, for a total of 1.5 million. 

53,000,000,000,000 colones ($ 107 million) will be distributed to 156,000 government employees as their annual aguinaldo. (The equivalent of one month’s salary paid as a Christmas bonus to employees in Costa Rica).  In this distribution are covered all of the employees of all the ministries, the TSE (Supremo Election Tribunal), the Omsbudman’s Office, Comptroller General, Legislative Assembly y and the Judicial Branch.

Employees of INS (Insurance Institute), CCSS (Social Security), A y A (Water Works) and ICE (Power, Telecom & Light) are not included in the central government payout amount.  The aguinaldo is calculated by taking the average of the last 12 month salaries for each employee.