Guy at the Goodwill in Columbus laughed at me for checking the zippers, but I was right
He watched me unzip every coat on the rack and said I was wasting my time, that nobody donates broken stuff. Ten minutes later I pulled a wool peacoat with a busted main zip and offered the cashier $4 instead of the $12 tag, which she took on the spot. A $9 zipper pull replacement at the sewing shop on High Street and I had a coat that retails around $180. Tbh the real hack is checking the zipper teeth before you fall in love with the lining, so who else has a thrift store check they always do first?