All I'll say regarding ReStore is that like any other store , they are there to make money , not cater to collectors . Plus , you also need to factor what they pay to rent the space they're in . The building we moved into in 2005 cost us $3.76 per square foot per month back then !!  Then add in insurance , employee saleries and it adds up quickly . They need to stock popular stuff that'll sell quickly , not niche stuff that'll sit for awhile and take up valuable floor space . Also , if they accept cases of fluorescent tubes for example (hazardous waste) the cost to disposes of them if no one buys them just destroys any profit margins !

 All in all , I don't go into ReStore expecting to find rare items but it DOES occasionally happen and I do occasionally find some really good deals and cool items !

 Maybe someday I'll find that case of caution yellow Lifeguards !!  (HIGHLY DOUBT IT !!) 

Medved tend to demonize the ignitor circuit it certainly will not strike an uncontrollable arc through a fuse, energy/voltage is too low. BUT it can flash over some poorly made input circuits and kill the multimeter. That's real, fuse won't help.

Anyway, if the ignitor is open circuit board, it is rather trivial to verify the components. If it is potted type, the easiest way is to check it is by replacement.

You  may try to start the lamp the old school way, by connecting a low voltage (single tube) fluorescent starter in series with say, 100W incandescent bulb, parallel to HPS lamp. Incandescent lamp works for current limiting, so a short circuit current of the choke (about 2A) won't stuck the starter.
 

Thank you for the responses! But the video seems to be now deleted...

Well, here in Romania if you don't like anything other than cars, sports and other ,,normal'' hobbyes you are called crazy.
I once told a friend that i like lights and he started hysterically laughing and told the whole class and they laughed at me
My dad and my grandparents think that my hobby is stupid but my mom is very supportive of me and lets me bring home any fixture or lamp.

@coolbeans: We've corresponded, but it's been long time.
@Bulbman256: Guess I could leave a tag with 'LG-BT25'in them...but then someone else will buy it.

You should leave a cryptic message inside a luminaire next time you donate one.

That funny and pretty cool to see. Have you reached out to him before?

I have avoided the restores in my area. One focuses on furniture, and no mercury or non-specalty incandescent lamps at any locations. I did find some interesting things at the restore up north in McHenry, but selection is not great. My biggest gripe with resore are their prices in general are at or just below retail price. There is a massive independent thrift store by me that I like to frequent and they sell anything you could imagine.

I carried around things related to my interest, I became known for it in a comedic good way. The only problem is all my lamps which are good to hold are rare or I only have one of them. I used F40T12s as a stick, when I found them while walking with my friends.
Here, if you do something random again and again, you get known for it in a comedic way. I still remember the guy who used ram sticks as a scale in school, it became a trend and the highest capacity would win.

I went to 3 ReStores yesterday (Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Bellflower) and they were all pretty much like what you described. Modern residential lamps and fixtures from large donations, and mostly LED bulbs. Some incs but modern ones from just before the ban. Bought nothing. Total bust. Last score was a few weeks ago at another ReStore in Oxnard and got a bunch of NOS Luxor incandescent bulbs. Scored a few new fluorescent and HID lamps at others.

This has been my experience with a lot of Restores now too. The two in my city have been like this since ~2019 or so. A lot of the lamps (mostly LED) they're trying to sell aren't any less expensive than they would be to buy new. As of now, I've found that Restores in smaller towns and cities usually tend to have more interesting stuff.