August 7, 2025 • 7 mins
“If someone asks you for $28 outside a Starbucks, what’s the right move—compassion, skepticism, or just a firm ‘I don’t talk to strangers’?”In this laugh-out-loud episode of The Ben and Skin Show, Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray dive into a bizarre real-life encounter that starts with a simple matcha run and spirals into a full-blown philosophical debate on generosity, street etiquette, and the art of panhandling. Skin recounts a surreal moment when a man approached him asking for exactly $28 to get to a job he starts in three days. What followed was a masterclass in awkward negotiation, social assumptions, and unexpected Starbucks drama. Ben shares his go-to line for dodging street solicitations—“I don’t talk to strangers”—while KT and Krystina weigh in on the ethics of giving, the psychology of street interactions, and whether Skin’s $5 offer was generous or just plain confusing.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ben and Skin Show ninety seven point one The Eagle.
I know you've heard about our Iheartradios Think It Teacher Month,
powered by donors choose all month, you have a chance
to go nominated teacher at iHeartRadio dot com Forward slash Teachers,
someone who's making the difference that needs to be made
in the lives of the kids. And we're gonna have
one winner that's gonna get five thousand dollars to just
(00:22):
deck out their classroom and make it incredible. I mean,
we always talk about these budget cuts. Teachers need your help,
so Iheart's gonna hook one up this month. You can
go ahead and nominate your favorite teacher again at iHeartRadio
dot Com Forward slash Teachers. But today shout out to
Marissa Ruiz at Annette Perry Elementary School in Mansfield. She's
our teacher of the day. Congratulations Miss Ruiz. But you
(00:46):
can go nominate your teacher and hopefully that'll be the
one that wins the five thousand dollars. We're giving away
Pantara tickets at some point today. You got to be listening.
You have to have your iHeart app and you'll be
ready to cook. But right now it's time for this track.
What other edition of things?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Cal Okay, So yesterday you guys left and you're like,
oh my god, been and Skinner's still here.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
What are they doing?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, we had time to kill in between our show
and some dinner event we were going to. And so
when we left here with time to kill, where do
you think.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Me and Ben went? Knowing us recently? Pickleball across the street?
Pretty good, that's a good guess.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
By the way, I ordered one hundred and eighty dollar
pickleball racket.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yes, you need to get three or four more of those, dude,
You need them to be more expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Do you guys go to the dick Authority?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I am the dick authority because he's a private dick
out there solid morning goods, solving cases, and I like goods.
We went and got Macha clowns, got my cars. Talking
to my wife and she goes, hey, if you go
to Starbucks and you order it this particular way, you're
really going to like it. So it's like, well, hell, well,
I won't even mess with Feng Chu. Starbucks is right here.
(02:02):
I know they have what Ben needs. We'll go to Starbucks.
So we pull up and I roll the window down
because I want Ben to hear something on the radio.
And a dude walks up. Now I have a what's that? Oh,
I've just made up a sound. I there's a certain
kind of person that a lot of times they'll walk
up and you know they're about to hit you up
for money. And in my head, this may not be
(02:25):
fair or right to a whole group of people, But
my first thought is, what does this homeless person want
from me? They may not be homeless, sure, they could
be a person who genuinely is the one time where
the story is true where they're about to get a
job in three days and they're just in between a
tough spot and they need money right now to go to.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
The bus station.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
It's amazing how many people have this story, but they
a lot of them seem to have it. In my mind,
I go to, all right, you're running game on me
and you're quote unquote homeless. But they may not be homeless, right,
I just I lock that in. All right, what is
this pan handler one or this homeless person? They're not
the same thing. So I'm sitting there and I'm like,
all right, I would love to get through this and
(03:08):
get on with my day.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
He's like, I need twenty eight dollars. Oh oh, oh, exact, okaycause.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He's got a specific story. He's going to the bus station. Yeah,
and then he starts his job in three days, and
I'm looking at the way he's dressed. I'm like, that's
you know, maybe maybe I don't know. People have different fashions.
So I'm like, all right, we're going to go inside
and get our drink and I'm going to give you
five dollars when I come back out.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And he was like, but I.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Need twenty eight Keep in mind e I had already
walked off at that point. Yeah, and the guy goes
what he asks in what about that guy? I was like,
that guy might be in once we go in and
do what we got to do. But I'm not your backstop.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I've just told you if you stick around, I'm willing
to give you five dollars when I finish what I'm doing.
With what I'm doing, I'm willing to give you money
since you ask. Now, it's not the exact thing that
you want, And I immediately flashback. I don't know if
you guys remember this to when I offered to buy
a guy a sandwich since he was panhandling out in
front of the sandwich shop, but.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
He didn't like the menu. I was about to bring
it up. He bought the guy a sandwich, and he
complained about the orders.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yes, he was like, so there's uh yeah, yeah, And
I was like, why did you take the onions off it?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Right?
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And it's just amazing to me how brazen someone can be.
I need something from you, and I need exactly what
I want, even though I've never.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Met you on the timeline that I want it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Well, why aren't you toning him by saying I will
give you five dollars, but you have to stand out
here in the hot sun and wait for it.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
You added some language to that deal that is not
But anyways, my old point, and you're fanning out five
dollars bills. Well, so anyways, we go inside the Starbucks.
He follows us in there, and then he starts chatting
up another guy. So after my order, he's still talking
to the other guy. I walked up. I gave him
(05:05):
the five dollars. He did not acknowledge me. He didn't
even It's almost as if I didn't give him five dollars.
He never looked at me. Yeah, and then he was like, Ah,
this other guy is gonna give me everything I need.
This guy like bottom of a bunch of coffee. Hooked
him up, maybe put him up in a condo.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
He never even acknowledged that I handed him the five dollars.
I told him I was going to hand him, and
I'm just like it's and again, he may not be
what I thought he was. He may literally be the
guy that's in three days gonna get his job, Spiders
fashion style.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Uh and and every like.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I may have made a presumption about this guy that's
nowhere near accurate.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Tough times for everyone, right, But if if kt you
think about this for when you're homeless, if you're going
to walk up to a successful businessman like Skin. You know,
he was wearing four hundred dollars jeans, you know that
with the white stitching and fancy boots.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
He got a milk him what he's worth.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I know you're gonna want ford, You're gonna want
to milk him. But when you approach him and you're like,
hey man, can I have twenty eight dollars and he goes,
I'm gonna give you five after I've gone into this
air conditioned building and had a seventeen dollars Macha, what
would you be confusing?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Like?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Can't you just give me the five?
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Now? I mean I think also you got to negotiate
a little bit and say ten.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I could also be like I could also be like,
don't talk to me, I don't know you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I'm leaving. Like I could be that guy, I would
you have to hear a new song I've been working on, Ben.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Would you care to tell kt how much money you
gave this man? So I was walking into the Starbucks.
I was like, no time for our our buddy. Casana
Law taught me this a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
When anybody walks up to you, like panhandling, you just go, man,
I don't talk to strangers.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
It just totally catches them off guard and they're like, oh, okay,
I actually I've heard people say that before, like at
a gas station, heard someone else say that, sorry, man, sorry.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Don't talk to strangers my policy and just keep going.
So I just was walked again and he the guy
asked skin. He goes, hey, man, what about that guy?
And his Skin's like, I don't know, man, you got
to deal with that guy, and and he's going, well,
are you gonna give me money when you leave?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Like a man? I don't know, man. And so when
we went inside, the guy got so.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Enamored with the guy who's buying him all the Starbucks
merch that he just ignored me.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So he never even asked me. He thinks he never.
I mean, he made out like a bandit. That guy
hooked him up. I think I was a president of Starbucks.
He left with stock options. It was incredible. Anyways, every
time one of these guys that I think they're a
certain kind of guy approached me, it just becomes confrontational.
I just need to do what Ben says and say
I don't talk to strangers.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It was nice, though, you give him five bucks.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I want it back. I wish I had it back
right now. Coming up next a brand new segment called
ken I Ask You a Question
Ben and Skin Show ninety seven point one The Eagle.
I know you've heard about our Iheartradios Think It Teacher Month,
powered by donors choose all month, you have a chance
to go nominated teacher at iHeartRadio dot com Forward slash Teachers,
someone who's making the difference that needs to be made
in the lives of the kids. And we're gonna have
one winner that's gonna get five thousand dollars to just
(00:22):
deck out their classroom and make it incredible. I mean,
we always talk about these budget cuts. Teachers need your help,
so Iheart's gonna hook one up this month. You can
go ahead and nominate your favorite teacher again at iHeartRadio
dot Com Forward slash Teachers. But today shout out to
Marissa Ruiz at Annette Perry Elementary School in Mansfield. She's
our teacher of the day. Congratulations Miss Ruiz. But you
(00:46):
can go nominate your teacher and hopefully that'll be the
one that wins the five thousand dollars. We're giving away
Pantara tickets at some point today. You got to be listening.
You have to have your iHeart app and you'll be
ready to cook. But right now it's time for this track.
What other edition of things?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Cal Okay, So yesterday you guys left and you're like,
oh my god, been and Skinner's still here.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
What are they doing?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, we had time to kill in between our show
and some dinner event we were going to. And so
when we left here with time to kill, where do
you think.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Me and Ben went? Knowing us recently? Pickleball across the street?
Pretty good, that's a good guess.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
By the way, I ordered one hundred and eighty dollar
pickleball racket.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yes, you need to get three or four more of those, dude,
You need them to be more expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Do you guys go to the dick Authority?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I am the dick authority because he's a private dick
out there solid morning goods, solving cases, and I like goods.
We went and got Macha clowns, got my cars. Talking
to my wife and she goes, hey, if you go
to Starbucks and you order it this particular way, you're
really going to like it. So it's like, well, hell, well,
I won't even mess with Feng Chu. Starbucks is right here.
(02:02):
I know they have what Ben needs. We'll go to Starbucks.
So we pull up and I roll the window down
because I want Ben to hear something on the radio.
And a dude walks up. Now I have a what's that? Oh,
I've just made up a sound. I there's a certain
kind of person that a lot of times they'll walk
up and you know they're about to hit you up
for money. And in my head, this may not be
(02:25):
fair or right to a whole group of people, But
my first thought is, what does this homeless person want
from me? They may not be homeless, sure, they could
be a person who genuinely is the one time where
the story is true where they're about to get a
job in three days and they're just in between a
tough spot and they need money right now to go to.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
The bus station.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
It's amazing how many people have this story, but they
a lot of them seem to have it. In my mind,
I go to, all right, you're running game on me
and you're quote unquote homeless. But they may not be homeless, right,
I just I lock that in. All right, what is
this pan handler one or this homeless person? They're not
the same thing. So I'm sitting there and I'm like,
all right, I would love to get through this and
(03:08):
get on with my day.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
He's like, I need twenty eight dollars. Oh oh, oh, exact, okaycause.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
He's got a specific story. He's going to the bus station. Yeah,
and then he starts his job in three days, and
I'm looking at the way he's dressed. I'm like, that's
you know, maybe maybe I don't know. People have different fashions.
So I'm like, all right, we're going to go inside
and get our drink and I'm going to give you
five dollars when I come back out.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And he was like, but I.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Need twenty eight Keep in mind e I had already
walked off at that point. Yeah, and the guy goes
what he asks in what about that guy? I was like,
that guy might be in once we go in and
do what we got to do. But I'm not your backstop.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I've just told you if you stick around, I'm willing
to give you five dollars when I finish what I'm doing.
With what I'm doing, I'm willing to give you money
since you ask. Now, it's not the exact thing that
you want, And I immediately flashback. I don't know if
you guys remember this to when I offered to buy
a guy a sandwich since he was panhandling out in
front of the sandwich shop, but.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
He didn't like the menu. I was about to bring
it up. He bought the guy a sandwich, and he
complained about the orders.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yes, he was like, so there's uh yeah, yeah, And
I was like, why did you take the onions off it?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Right?
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And it's just amazing to me how brazen someone can be.
I need something from you, and I need exactly what
I want, even though I've never.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Met you on the timeline that I want it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Well, why aren't you toning him by saying I will
give you five dollars, but you have to stand out
here in the hot sun and wait for it.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
You added some language to that deal that is not
But anyways, my old point, and you're fanning out five
dollars bills. Well, so anyways, we go inside the Starbucks.
He follows us in there, and then he starts chatting
up another guy. So after my order, he's still talking
to the other guy. I walked up. I gave him
(05:05):
the five dollars. He did not acknowledge me. He didn't
even It's almost as if I didn't give him five dollars.
He never looked at me. Yeah, and then he was like, Ah,
this other guy is gonna give me everything I need.
This guy like bottom of a bunch of coffee. Hooked
him up, maybe put him up in a condo.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
He never even acknowledged that I handed him the five dollars.
I told him I was going to hand him, and
I'm just like it's and again, he may not be
what I thought he was. He may literally be the
guy that's in three days gonna get his job, Spiders
fashion style.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Uh and and every like.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I may have made a presumption about this guy that's
nowhere near accurate.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Tough times for everyone, right, But if if kt you
think about this for when you're homeless, if you're going
to walk up to a successful businessman like Skin. You know,
he was wearing four hundred dollars jeans, you know that
with the white stitching and fancy boots.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
He got a milk him what he's worth.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I know you're gonna want ford, You're gonna want
to milk him. But when you approach him and you're like,
hey man, can I have twenty eight dollars and he goes,
I'm gonna give you five after I've gone into this
air conditioned building and had a seventeen dollars Macha, what
would you be confusing?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Like?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Can't you just give me the five?
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Now? I mean I think also you got to negotiate
a little bit and say ten.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I could also be like I could also be like,
don't talk to me, I don't know you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I'm leaving. Like I could be that guy, I would
you have to hear a new song I've been working on, Ben.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Would you care to tell kt how much money you
gave this man? So I was walking into the Starbucks.
I was like, no time for our our buddy. Casana
Law taught me this a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
When anybody walks up to you, like panhandling, you just go, man,
I don't talk to strangers.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
It just totally catches them off guard and they're like, oh, okay,
I actually I've heard people say that before, like at
a gas station, heard someone else say that, sorry, man, sorry.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Don't talk to strangers my policy and just keep going.
So I just was walked again and he the guy
asked skin. He goes, hey, man, what about that guy?
And his Skin's like, I don't know, man, you got
to deal with that guy, and and he's going, well,
are you gonna give me money when you leave?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Like a man? I don't know, man. And so when
we went inside, the guy got so.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Enamored with the guy who's buying him all the Starbucks
merch that he just ignored me.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
So he never even asked me. He thinks he never.
I mean, he made out like a bandit. That guy
hooked him up. I think I was a president of Starbucks.
He left with stock options. It was incredible. Anyways, every
time one of these guys that I think they're a
certain kind of guy approached me, it just becomes confrontational.
I just need to do what Ben says and say
I don't talk to strangers.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It was nice, though, you give him five bucks.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I want it back. I wish I had it back
right now. Coming up next a brand new segment called
ken I Ask You a Question
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