www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Sorry Devo but I do not understand how their not paying taxes on the money they make has anything to do with how much money they make today compared to 8 years ago and how it compares after 150% inflation is added to it . They did not pay taxes on their income 8 years ago either!! And unlike the USA and Canada there are virtually no social services nor welfare to help them if needed whether they paid taxes or not!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

I guess my way of thinking is that $60-$80 (tax free) was good money 8 years ago and still is today despite any inflation.

The $60-$80 (tax free) that the Chicas earn is essentially highly inflated Gringo prices to begin with. Now if we are talking about MP Chicas working for $20 a session I agree about the inflation

I agree and recognize that there are virtually no social services nor welfare to help them if needed, and that hits hard especially for the Tica working at a soda for $2/hour.

I have always said, save your concern and tips for the maid who cleans your room or the waitress at the restaurant. The Del Rey working girls and the bartenders are doing just fine.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

When an inaccurate figure is repeatedly cited, eventually everyone believes it's the truth.
That may be happening here.
If I'm reading the World Bank table correctly, the accumulated inflation in CR over the last eight years has been 91.68%. Not a small amount, but nearly 60% lower than BB57 frequently claims it to be.
My other question is why use an eight year timeline when talking about chicas? Although we all know many veteran working girls, my guess is that their average working career is about half that many years. It's just easier for us to recall the long-time girls because they keep on keeping on, while many more are here for awhile and then move on.
CR accumulated inflation for the last four years has been 26%.
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.DEFL.KD.ZG

I agree that BB57's overall point that working girls are falling behind the inflation curve is correct, it just seems a little overstated.

Please correct me if I'm reading the figures incorrectly.

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It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

Your point about world bank figures may be correct but we all know that these figures are based on a set of things that do not always include certain food price increases and fuel and energy prices.
A good example is the Cost of living index in the US which is absurdly low and does nor include gas and food prices which they claim are too volatile and so does not express the reality of price increases the people face. Hence you get a 1.5% (this year) increase in social security while we all know prices of essentiels like food and gas has gone up 10%.
BB57 is quoting reality on the ground not banker BS.

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Softbob

There is nothing either good or bad
but thinking makes it so.
HAMLET

If my figure of 150% over the last 8 years is wrong I apologize! First I know from experience that for any country (especially the USA jeje) you can get as many different figures as there are agencies or reporting groups for any where. I was basing the 150 on the fact that the Costa Rican Government has said that inflation here has averaged around 13% per year during that period. 13% per year compounded over 8 years is more than 150%. My point was not that (whether 150 or your figure of 91%) the actual figure was important but that as we all know (at least those of us who live here), the cost of living has gone out of sight over the last 8 years. And that the average price the chicas are getting is still basically the same. Even for your figure of 91% for the chicas to have the same buying power today they would have to be getting almost twice as much per session and they are NOT!!! Therefore comparatively speaking we mongers are getting more of a "bargain" today than 8 years ago!!! And unless she is working harder and doing more customers, the average puta's standard of living has had to go down!!!. Don't get me wrong, I am not supporting nor advocating we pay chicas "cien" and certainly not more!! I am well known for not paying much!! Hell I almost never pay even 60 and only one time in 20 years have I paid $80 and that was the worst session I have ever had in CR. I am/was only trying to show that prices for the chicas have not gone up that much and with inflation figured in (whether 10% or 1000% ) they have actually gone down and the chicas are more of a bargain now that 8 years ago. Yes I have always said that in most cases guys are way over paying here-too many forget this is not the USA and income levels here are much lower than in the states. And we should not spend money to come here and then pay USA prices-that defeats the reason for coming here (well not the fact that Latinas are much hotter than Gringas jejeje).

As for the 8 year figure, if you had actually read and comprehended what I wrote you would know I used that figure because that is how long I have been living here and was comparing what it was then to now! No other reason for the "8 years"-could have just as easily used 10 or 15 or even 20 (the first time I visited here). Prices have gone up over the 20 year period but certainly not equal to inflation over that period!!

One factor that I guess should inter into the conversation concerning how much or how little they get: And you mentioned this indirectly: for most chicas their "puta" career is like pro football or baseball players careers-SHORT- so they (as the pro sports players say "have to make more while they can"!!! But then I think pro sports players are way over paid today!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

One key factor keeping the prices constant has a component that haven't been discussed, simply supply and demand. There is almost always more girls available than there are guys looking. We may have our own opinions about quality and location, but there are always girls available in the Del Rey, MP's and other venues. Secondly, there is a constant flow of new girls coming into San Jose to try and make some money keeping the amount available girls above the amount of guys looking.

are you talking about supply/demand of the monger (gringo) market, or the puta market overall?
Places like HDR, SL and such as gringo-centric, and there will always be a variable ratio of selection there. The Tico MPs are a better gauge of the supply/demand ratio. BB is in and out of those places daily, and could give a better idea of whether the supply has broadened overall.
Also, keep in mind that even in the HDR, supply/demand affects price, but not to the extent that many would like to think. The chica sets her price daily, and though she may get skint and have to discount on a day or two, for the most part her price is reflective of her personal financial situation and not really the measure of her 'competition'. If it were truly a competitive market, then even the weakest of negotiators would pick up quality sessions for $50 ... and YES ... I know some of you claim that happens all of the time. YMMV.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

If you banned the Colombian Chicas (and the pimps that control them) from the Del Rey, the price would drop overnight.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

Flabuck and BD:

In some ways I agree with both of you. In the USA, supply and demand plays a huge part in pricing in virtually any business. Competition for pieces of the pie is what keeps prices stable in a lot of cases. Most business owners/ CEOs /managers understand the concept and also that of offering something "extra" got get the customer interested and happy in order to keep demand greater than supply and thus prices up. But as we all know it does not always work the way it is planed. Car Companies offer incentives and free extras to boost sales, but sometime they have to drop the prices to get rid of the surplus.

Well the problem here is that Latinos in general and the independent putas in particular do not comprehend the ideas of "free market", of "supply and demand", of "incentives", of even "giving more to get more in return!! To them it is "I have this for sale, this is my price. this is what you get for my price, and you can take it or leave it"! Even when business is bad or as an individual she needs money, they do not understand supply and demand and here it has virtually no affect on price. Yes, on occasion the need for more money by an individual chica will be so great that some guy will get lucky and get a "bargain". But they "live for the minute" and though she dropped her price and got the money to pay the electric bill due today she forgot about the rent due in 2 days and won't think about it till it is due. In the meantime her price is back up to the normal price. Sadly that guy that 'got the bargain" also often will get a lousy session because she is feeling bad about having to dropped her price, and often before the session is even over will be regretting having done it!!

At the same time the reason inflation has had little affect on the pricing is they do not understand the concept. They do not understand that as prices and costs for doing business go up so must the price they charge in order to cover those increases. Most of them are not educated, are not business minded, nor do they understand any of the concepts of operating a business at a profit.

As for the MPs. To an extent what I have said above is also true with them. Add to that several other factors and you have stable prices no matter what the economy does. In the last 3 years or so since the economies of many countries took a tumble and thus the numbers of tourist mongers have fallen off drastically, many of the independent chicas have gone back (yes, gone "back") to where they started, the MPs. Another thing that sadly happens when the economy drops, is often the "class or type" of tourist will drop- more scum bags, low lives, con-artists - those who prey on the misfortune of others, and thus those who have more money to spend in "hard times" will start to show up. I have heard many more stories of mistreatment, of not paying, of actual robbery by the client in the last year or so than I had heard in all the other 18-19 years of visiting and living here combined. So some have gone back to the MPs for safety reasons. many for finanicial reasons, and some just because their friends have!!!

The number of MPs overall is up slightly-over 20 new ones in the last 2 years but at the same time about 15 have closed. What is up drastically it appears to me is the average number of chicas working in each MP. AND, I might add, the average quality of the chicas in the MP!!!!!!!!!! The number of Ticos using MPs appears to have gone up and the amount of money the Ticos seem to have to spend and that they are willing to spend has definitely gone up!!! Because of increased competition (yes in the MPs the owners do seem to at least in a small way, understand supply and demand) the prices in the existing MPs have risen very little. The over all average price is up substantially because many of the newer MPs are much higher in price, catering to the more wealthy, big spender Ticos!!!

Contrary to popular thought, the chicas working in MPs often make much more money that the average independent even in good times. Even in the very "low rent" places like on 6th street any decent looking chica willing to work can make good money. Many of the better chicas there will often do as many as 10 guys a day. they get c5000 per 20-30 minute session so if they do 10 they are making close to "cien" per day. Even in good times, very, very few chicas in the REY average even one a day at $80.

All of the above is just what I have picked up from talking to chica and MP owner friends, and the opinions and impressions from observations of a senile old fart

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

When was the last time you were in the del REY?? In recent months I have not once seen enough Colombianas in the Rey for them to have any over-all influence on anything!!! But maybe I am missing something!! Hell I know more Colombianas working in MPs right now than I see at anytime working in the REY.

Since the government begin cracking down on over staying the visa and even on the ability of certain nationalities (including Colombians) to get a visa, the numbers of Colombianas, and to a lesser extent, Nicas here has dropped drastically!! I also know of several who were getting older and thus making less money who went home when the number of tourists dropped. One of my all-time top favoritas (even knew her in Bogota before she came here) is included in that group. She is 37,maybe 38 now!!!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Have to agree with BB57...the numbers of Colombian girls has really dropped off mostly due to the new immigration laws. What I have found is the number of Dominican girls has really increased. If you like foreign girls, seems a lot work in Jaco instead of San Jose. Less immigration raids to worry about and for the Dominican (and Nicaraguan) girls, a similar climate to what they are used to.

On inflation, I haven't seen the huge upswing in my daily life here. I base that more on the price of a standard casado. Seven years ago, a good one was c1.500 and today it seems they are c2,000 to 2,500 so not even 100% difference. I'd tend to think the 80% over the last seven years is a better figure.

In Costa Rica, trying to use standard economic indicators like depreciation and supply/demand are futile. Hell, my Toyota Prado went up in value (for tax purposes) for three years in a row, something my economics professors told me was impossible in a 'normal' economy.

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The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

all my trips to del rey 2006-20012 prices were consistent $40-$100 with most in the $60-$80 range.
My last 4 trips all to jaco standard price $100 although you can probably(especialy the stud negotiaters)can get it for less.I don't see it changing anytime soon.I always find it amusing that some go into the rey or cocal and always get quoted higher prices.

... that's exactly what I said. The chica sets her price based upon what she wants for the service, and only a money crunch will cause her to discount, which will always affect the quality.

I love listening to guys talk about mongering as if pu*sy was a normal traded commodity. Mongering is a *Service* industry. You're not paying for the product, but the service behind it. As long as guys hard-bargain to get the product as cheaply as possible, they'll continue to gripe about their 'lousy sessions'.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

You do realize that all of this bantering and bickering is over roughly $20 right?

Price is determine by supply and demand. If the girl is hot, the demand will be higher and she'll charge more relative to other girls of lesser stature. If it's a "slow night" then the relative prices for everyone will drop, but the hot ones can still command more than the average.

I respect the fact that $20 may be a big deal to some of you, but IMHO negotiating and rationalizing with a chica is a no-win proposition in the long run.

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Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion.

With all due respect: The most NEWBIE definitive statement I have, I think, ever heard!! Whether negotiating and rationalizing with a chica IS a no win proposition or not I guess depends on what you (each individual) are willing to settle for in a session!! Not negotiating will, in most cases get you a covered BJ. 5 minutes before she starts the "leche bebi" crap, and her ready to leave in 15 minutes! Now if that is what you want for your money, don't negotiate my friend! No it is not nearly as much about the money as it is what you are going to get for the money.

Maybe you call this thread "Bantering and bickering" I, and I think most of us would call it an interesting exchange of ideas and philosophies. Maybe I am wrong though!! I have been before!!

As for as it "being over $20", yes the original post was basically concerning $20 or so, but there has been a lot of important ideas brought up by several people. And most important, there are two distinct groups on this board, one being the monger tourist and the other being the mongers who live here. For the tourist, yes, $20 difference for 10-12 or so sessions once or maybe twice a year is not that big a deal. For us guys who live here and are sessioning 3-4 or more times 52 weeks a year, GUESS WHAT??? That $20 could easily add up to over $4000 in a year. Now that "no big deal" has become a "BIG DEAL" for just about anyone except maybe a small hand full of the wealthiest guys. Hell for me and what I average spending per session that $4000 would be 100 sessions!!! And by the way, I know a lot of guys who live here that spend about the same as I do per session!!! I am not that unusual!!!!!!!!! So I guess you could say we are "bantering and bickering over a lot less than $20 per session for us!! Maybe I am wrong but I thought this thread was more about how savy these chicas are or aren't when it comes to economics!! and whether prices have changed over all over the years or not got added to the mix along the way!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!