By Chris Cosci

Picture this: You walk into a McDonald's. The person behind the counter eagerly takes your order. A team of employees promptly gets your order for you. You get your meal and your change with no mistakes. Everyone is friendly and the person who took your order says, "Thank you for choosing McDonald's. Have a nice day."

Most of you are probably thinking, where is this McDonald's? Is it in some fantasy world where the air is clean, the rivers flow with chocolate, and Christina Aguilera is nowhere to be found?

No. It's actually located in Wantagh, NY, a virtually unremarkable town except for the Jones Beach Theater and this McDonald's. In these times, when most fast-food restaurant employees look as if they were on their way to a funeral, it's refreshing to enter this friendly environment.

Why are the people here friendlier? They don't get tips. They don't get bigger paychecks. There's no commission. What is it? Is it something in the air? Do they have some grand loyalty to the McDonald's corporation? Are they people who, unlike their friends who dream of becoming doctors or scientists, are fulfilling their life-long dream of being a McDonald's employee?

Of course not. The real answer is that whoever hires these people are not just looking for any teenager who was forced to find a job because their parents were sick of having them around the house. They're looking for people who have respect for the fact that they are getting paid to do their job. In order to earn their pay, they need to perform their service well, and that means making sure the customer is happy.

The unfortunate truth is that almost anywhere else including fast-food places, department stores, and grocery stores, the employees just don't care. And to make matters worse, the managers are so desperate for employees, that they'll hire anyone who hasn't killed someone in the past two months, or at least hasn't been convicted of killing someone. The result is a group of employees who try to avoid eye contact, mumble inaudibly, and work as little as possible.

In addition to a severe lack of personality, employees are being hired regardless of their intelligence, which is sometimes hovering just above the level of most kindergartners. Simple math skills are a challenge to these employees and they lack the ability to help answer any questions the customers may have.

Employees are also becoming slower. They'll sometimes stare at the register for an unusually long time looking for the right key to press. The simple act of scanning a bar code has become a chore. And try making change of a twenty dollar bill. You might as well order a cup of coffee while you wait.

Also, I always make sure to say "have a nice day" or "have a good night" or something like that to whoever helps me with my purchase. Far be it for me to expect them to say something to me. Some people may think it's trite or insincere, but I disagree. I think this society can use a little more pleasantness.

I once went to a post office where the woman behind the counter sold me a money order and then said, "have a good day, and have an even better tomorrow." I was in a bad mood that day and the simplicity of her kindness made me feel better. She wasn't excited to be working there. She probably wanted to go home like everyone else. Yet, she knew that there was no need to be miserable. It's amazing how a little personality goes a long way.