In short I need a cheap external disc drive and dont want to cough up the 20$ and buy online so thrift store it is. I cant really come up with a way to test these usually usb powered drives besides somehow setting up a computer or asking the workers for help (doubt they will). Does anyone have an idea to narrow down if a drive is defective or should i just take a chance and hopefully the store has a return policy?
You can usually go in empty handed first and ask if it’s ok for you to bring in just your laptop to see if a usb drive works, and then go get it with minimal other stuff for them to be suspicious about.
Then when you try to leave they’ll tackle you for ‘stealing’ a laptop.
That’s one reason to talk to them and ask permission first, avoiding that kind of drama.