 Jan C. Snow laments that the phrase was trite and indicative of the speaker 's lack of vocabulary . She wrote that on Saturdays , people could be asked to " have a relaxing day " . People with highly variable jobs such as emergency room nurses may appreciate " have a routine day " , while mothers of young children may wish to " have a quiet day " . Debbie Lundberg wrote in her 2008 book Have a Nice Day Is Not Thank You , and No Problem Is Not You 're Welcome that service people should say " thank you " instead of " have a nice day " . She argued that " thank you " is shorter and is a " recognition of the ability you have to thank someone " , which adds more worth to the purchase than something that will occur in the future . Paul V. Marshall , the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem , concurred , writing in the Reading Eagle that he prefers " thank you " to " have a nice day " or " have a great day " even though " thank you " has a " host of socially acceptable responses " . He stated that when people say " thank you " , they admit that they are dependent on others , which leads to a healthier , safer society . 
