 William Safire of The New York Times wrote that when the speaker of the phrase is genuine and maintains eye contact , the act is a " social asset and a note of civility " in a busy world . However , he stated that when the phrase is robotically said or said in a tone similar to " get lost " , the utterance " comes across with a resounding clank of falsity " . Marilyn Gardner of The Christian Science Monitor wrote that the " bland age of ' Have @-@ a @-@ nice @-@ day ' should come to a deserving end " . She opined that service could not be " peddled as an image " , and that substance is more important than style . Satirical commentator Russell Baker wrote in the Chicago Tribune that he did not know Ma Bell was waning until she began using the phrase " have a nice day " . 
