Kroger Marketplace has Chinook boots $19!
I remember Kroger from when we lived in North Carolina for a while. Unfortunately, around here there are no Krogers. Lots of Publix, though. And they all have huge displays of sunblock, beach chairs and board shorts. Nothing to wear in temps under 70 degrees, much less snow boots.
But with everybody’s good advice, I passed the suggestions on to my son and he’s ordering some things that look like good basics to get started with.
For everyone who is at or has offspring at UChicago, how close or easy to get to are these types of things from campus:
- Basic pharmacy or store that carries OTC meds
- Walmart, target or something similar for inexpensive basics
- Grocery store (yeah, son probably won't need that one unless he's the one cooking his house's Saturday night meal, but since we're talking about Kroger, I'm curious.)
“- Basic pharmacy or store that carries OTC meds”: Walgreens on 55th and CVS on 53rd. UChicago also runs a pharmacy for prescription - not sure if they sell OTC.
“- Walmart, target or something similar for inexpensive basics” Target on 53rd. There is a Walmart a mile or two north of HP and my D has taken the bus there.
"- Grocery store (yeah, son probably won’t need that one unless he’s the one cooking his house’s Saturday night meal, but since we’re talking about Kroger, I’m curious.): There is a Whole Foods on 51st and Lake Park and a Treasure Island on 55th(?). There are probably others as well but drawing a blank. There is also a small convenience mart right next to Cathey Dining Hall (South campus and BJ are the res. halls nearby).
Correction to ^^: the Walmart is at 47th and Cottage Grove which is only a few blocks away from the northern border of HP. About a mile or so north of campus.
The Treasure Island and Walgreens mentioned by @JBStillFlying, as well as an Office Depot, are in the same shopping center on 55th. There is also a bus that runs directly there. While my daughter would normally walk, she opted for the bus on Tuesday when it was 2 degrees out. The Target on 53rd is very small; it will have the basics you mentioned, but do not expect to go there to find everything he might need to decorate and organize his room.
The major shopping areas in Hyde Park are at 55th and Lake Park Blvd. and Kimbark Plaza. They are between .5 to 1 mile away from the dorm depending on which dorm. It would have been a major pain if you have to walk from Hyde Park Produce with 2 bags of groceries all way back to BJ in subzero windchill. But UChicago these days has provided an extensive bus service:
https://safety-security.uchicago.edu/services/university_shuttles/
There are UGo Shuttles and CTA buses and the students ride for free. Nighttime UGo shuttle runs to 4 am on weekdays and 6:00 am on weekend. If you pull an all nighter at Reg in winter, at least you don’t have to walk through the snow and minus 20 wind chill back to your dorm/apartment. That was way more pampering than we got in 1980’s 
IMHO I find the Target on 53rd sufficient for most students daily needs. Obviously it will be smaller than the Super Target in the suburbs but most of the essential basics are there, albeit at a more inflated price than Target in the suburbs.
Drug store and Target see above. As for grocery, there’s also Hyde Park Produce that’s part of Kimbark Plaza on 53rd.