A Streets Department truck and barricades were positioned at the entrance, along with signs reading "No Salt," as workers turned people away.
The department issued a notice on social media saying the city was not distributing salt and that it had been made aware of "misinformed" posts circulating online.
"The stores were too expensive, so when I saw free salt, I was on the way to come get it!" said Tameka W. of Southwest Philadelphia.
She said she was "very disappointed, because I've been driving around and finally found a place."
The rush for salt came as hardware stores and other retailers across the city saw supplies dwindle ahead of the winter storm.
At Fairmount Hardware, pallets stacked with ice melt in the morning were gone by the end of the day.
"This is what's left of it. Just swept up," owner Andy Siegel said at closing time. He noted that his shop had prepared for the surge. "We put away a lot just in preparation for big storms like this."
In South Philadelphia, Bella Vista Beer Distributors drew customers in with a sign advertising both "beer and rock salt," offering a chance to knock out two errands at once.
"The salt's sold out everywhere else and the sign said 'beer and rock salt!'" said customer Scott Macauley.
When asked whether he had picked up the beer as well, he replied, "No, I can only carry so many things at a time! They only have 50 lb bags."
As residents prepared their sidewalks, PennDOT crews readied plow trucks for the roads. Community relations coordinator Helen Reinbrecht said drivers may not see plows immediately once snow begins.
"Plow trucks work best when there is at least an inch of snow on the ground so people might not see plow trucks out and about until there's been some accumulation," she said. "PennDOT will stay on the roads until roads are passable. However, we do ask for patience. The average plow route is 30-40 miles. On interstates, a route can take 2 to 2.5 hours to complete. On less trafficked roads, plow routes can take up to 3-4 hours to complete."
Plow drivers were scheduled to report Saturday night to be ready for the storm.
The Mayor's Office plans to hold a briefing at 10 a.m. Saturday on the city's response efforts.