Why do people tell you to have a nice day when they don't mean it?

THIS EXPRESSION IS SUPPOSED to MEAN a blessing towards the other person's day.

I think the best way to respond to this is to TAKE IT POSSITIVELY and just don't bother whether or not the person who said it really means it.

It is an accepted form of ettiquette. If you come into my store and I serve you at the checkout..I don't know you ...so the polite and nice thing to say would not be...how is your mother doing ? It would also be rude to wait on you and just say Thanks....so people say Thank you , Have a nice day !

How do you know they do not really wish you a nice day? Just wishing it for a person does not make it the responsibility of the wisher to make it happen.

Some people are just going through the motions and others are sincere...however I would rather have them say ...have a nice day and not have their heart in it, than to say ...hope you fall on your butt going to your car and break a leg while you're at it..I'm having a crappy day and a crappy life so you should have a bit of trouble yourself !

There are some that do mean it so please do not dis count them. I do feel that the majority of people wishing you a nice day are doing so out of habit. Just like when someone asks how you are doing, the majority responds with "fine". I don't think they are completely to blame, however. The next time you are wished a good day, look that person in the eye and say something like, "Whew, I am so Glad you said that. I didn't know what kind of a day I was going to have so thanks." If you question their sincerity, then this might make them stop and think about what they just absent mindedly told you.

It's an employer thing, really. I was working for an organization for a while (and I felt on some level that this violated one of the Ten Commandments, because I really didn't care) who wanted you to apologize on EVERY call. Find something to be sorry for, because if something wasn't wrong, they wouldn't be calling.

Instead of the "Have a nice day" BS, I prefer something like "is there anything else I can help you with today," or "have I answered all of your questions?" This tells them in a sort-of polite way that I'm done with this transaction...if you don't have anything else for me to do, I need to move on to the next sucker...I mean customer.

It's just being polite, like another way of saying thank you. i notice tt among english-speaking peoples of the world, different nationalities have different ways of expressing gratitude or greeting one another. The britz say 'hello' or 'u're most welcome' in their characteristic accent n the aussies say 'how are u' or 'no worries' in place of those, but essentially they mean the same thing. i work at a visitor services counter at a tourist attraction and everytime an aussie says 'how are u' to me, i say 'fine, thank u' but after a while i realised they don't mean to ask the question cos they dun bother to hear what u say. to them it's just like saying hello, which doesn't really require an answer.

Good manners, demand so. . . and you should have replied thank you or and also with you. . . Not questioning her motive. A good deed demands another and so it goes round and round. it makes the world a better place to live with caring human hearts. . . not cynics. Its the same as a single smile which earns another smile until it contaminates everyone. . . . Know the saying,laugh and the world laugh with you,cry and you cry alone. Pleasantries, niceties. . . goes a long long way. . .

i work at the front desk at a hotel and when people are leaving i do tell them to have a nice day, and I genuinely mean it! really, there are some that don't mean it, and you can tell, those people i wish that they'd just not say anything!

Would you rather have them hand you your purchase and snarl, "Get bent"?

Nevertheless. From a linguistic point of view, the statement "Have a nice day" serves as a marker that the transaction is now complete. It's more pleasant than, "We're done. Get out.".

Their bosses really will fire them.

Consider this though. Just by the person saying that they get put in a better mood.

Well it's better than "F-off" ! Right ?

We DON'T HAVE to be nice to each other !

It just makes things get done, and move along easier and faster !

I deal with a--h*les all day, trust me, it works !