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!

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.