Murrysville friends Jennifer Tomb (right) and Nicole Kaforey shop Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Dovecote on Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall. It was their first time visiting the store. Shoppers had their pick of products and parking Friday ahead of what retailers hope will be a chaotic and profitable weekend — the last full weekend before Christmas celebrations get underway. “It’s not very crowded. I was thinking it would’ve been busier on a nice Friday,” said Karen Belin of New Kensington, who was shopping at The Waterworks mall near Aspinwall. “It doesn’t seem like people are shopping like they normally do. I think things are tight money-wise.” At Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield, self-proclaimed last-minute shopper Jim Pillsbury searched for the right…
