Hundreds of people waited for hours outside a Lowe's on Township Line Road in Havertown, hoping to buy salt.
The line stretched down the block as customers sought calcium chloride delivered to the store earlier in the day. Among them was Mike White of Overbrook Park.
"I just put my head down. I'm ashamed that I'm in this line. I'm embarrassed," White said.
White and about 450 others were ultimately successful. The store received a shipment of calcium chloride in the morning, drawing people from across the area.
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Jackie Wiggins of West Philadelphia said she arrived well before sunrise.
"I came here at 6 o'clock this morning, they said it was gonna be here at 9," Wiggins said.
By 9 a.m., the line had grown significantly. Around 10 a.m., the store began selling a more expensive type of salt at $25 a bag, limited to one bag per customer. The supply sold out within an hour.
One customer expressed frustration with the situation, saying, "I'm feeling as though this is the season for that, so you should have overstocked on salt."
Store employees and industry observers said the shortage is the result of supply issues.
"Supply houses, nobody wants to stock anything if it isn't going to move, so here we are," said Chuck, the owner of Burhill True Value Hardware in Drexel Hill.
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Burhill True Value Hardware is also out of salt and shovels as well. The owner said demand for salt has not been high in recent years, but with a weekend forecast, winter-related items have been selling quickly.
"A lot of the stuff is finished for the season, so that's another thing that we're up against," Chuck said.
Despite the supply concerns, some people said they're excited about the snow.
"Maybe it's a good way to slow things down, because I think we need to have a moment of quiet. Just to go inside and relax and appreciate nature," Topia Tessema said.