A tip of 15–20 percent added on to pre-tax bills for restaurants, hotels, beauty salons, taxis and other services hardly seems an extraordinary surcharge in a global economy.

Yet, for many workers, tips represent a primary source of income, eclipsing any hourly wage (which may be lowered to reflect tips or erased by government deductions from a presumed higher income). Hence, tipping is not only a reward or recognition for service but a necessity. For those in elite establishments, this may mean a substantial and rapid cash income, but it may also uncomfortably underscore dependence and difference in service-sector interactions.