# Flashfood Scraper - Discounted Groceries, Prices & Availability (`abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Flashfood discounted groceries and stores by location or store. Extract current and original prices, savings, quantity, best-before date, department, and store details. Track NEW, UPDATED, REAPPEARED, and EXPIRED items with incremental runs, resume, and MCP export.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Abot API](https://apify.com/abotapi) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.80 / 1,000 deal or store records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Flashfood Scraper - Grocery Deals & Stores

Scrape Flashfood (flashfood.com), the grocery flash-deals app (US and
Canada), directly from the same service the official app reads. Supermarkets
list surplus food at roughly half price; this actor returns those discounted
items with prices, savings, quantity available and best-before dates, plus
the stores behind them, for any US or Canadian location. It also monitors
availability across runs (NEW, UPDATED, REAPPEARED, EXPIRED), resumes
interrupted pulls, and pipes results into your apps through MCP connectors.

### Why This Scraper?

- Real app-service data: deal items with original price, discounted price,
  savings percent, quantity available, best-before date and department in
  one record.
- Location search around one or many points, with a per-location share of
  the record budget so multi-city runs stay balanced.
- Store mode: paste store links or ids for a direct per-store read.
- Availability monitoring: scheduled runs classify every record as NEW,
  UPDATED, UNCHANGED, REAPPEARED or EXPIRED, with per-campaign state you can
  name or share.
- MCP connector export: send results to Notion and other connectors without
  changing the dataset.
- Structured failures: a blocked or broken run fails loudly with a clear
  message instead of returning an empty dataset.

### Data You Get

> Sample shape: values are illustrative placeholders, not from a live listing.

| Field | Example value |
|---|---|
| kind | item |
| recordId / itemId | 6a916f9bfe402e2e5c5e9264 |
| title | PC ENGLISH MUFFINS ORIGINAL |
| price | 1.62 |
| originalPrice | 3.25 |
| discountPercent | 50.2 |
| currency | CAD |
| quantityAvailable | 7 |
| bestBefore | 2026-08-30T00:00:00+00:00 |
| department | Bakery |
| imageUrl | https://img.flashfood.com/products/... |
| listedAt | 2026-08-28T11:23:07.380Z |
| isSnapEligible | false |
| storeName | Sample Store |
| banner | Nofrills |
| street | 3975 Wyandotte St. E. |
| city | Windsor |
| stateCode | ON |
| countryCode | CA |
| latitude / longitude | 42.3242 / -82.9881 |
| distanceKm | 1.2 |
| storeHours | {"monday": "08:00-21:00", ...} |
| pickupInstructions | Please see a cashier for order pickup. |
| changeType | NEW |
| firstSeenAt / lastSeenAt | 2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |

Store records (optional, kind=store) carry the same store fields plus
checkout instructions, hours and EBT support. Every record also carries the
full upstream object (raw), so no upstream field is ever dropped.

### How to Use

Zero setup: the source serves its public catalogue openly, so paste one or
more locations (a city name such as Detroit, Michigan, or coordinates as
lat,lng) and run. No account is needed. For recurring deal alerting, switch
on incremental mode and schedule the run.

### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| mode | select | search | search (locations) or url (store links or ids) |
| locations | list | `Detroit, Michigan` | City or place names (Detroit, M4C 1A5), or coordinates as lat,lng |
| radiusKm | integer | 40 | Search radius in km, 1 to 160 |
| includeStores | boolean | false | Also emit one record per store, kind=store |
| countryHint | select | empty | Fill item currency with CAD or USD when a store states no country |
| storeInputs | array | empty | Store links or ids (url mode) |
| urls | array | empty | Alias for storeInputs, accepted under the usual Apify URL-mode name |
| maxItems | integer | 20 | Stop after this many records (0 = no limit) |
| resumeFromRunId | string | empty | Continue one interrupted run, skipping collected ids |
| incrementalMode | boolean | false | Recurring monitoring with change detection |
| stateKey | string | empty | Name a monitoring campaign (incremental mode) |
| emitUnchanged | boolean | false | Also return UNCHANGED rows (returns and bills extra rows) |
| emitExpired | boolean | false | Also return EXPIRED rows after a complete scan |
| mcpConnectors | array | empty | Optional MCP connector export |
| notionParentPageUrl | string | empty | Notion parent page for the Notion connector |
| maxNotifyListings | integer | 50 | Cap per connector per run |
| proxyConfiguration | object | proxy on | Standard Apify proxy settings |

Filters apply to search mode only; store mode reads the stores you name
directly. Source limit: one query returns at most 100 stores (nearest
first) and the source ignores page parameters, so cover larger areas with
several nearby locations rather than one huge radius.

### Output Example

> Sample shape: values are illustrative placeholders, not from a live listing.

```json
{
  "kind": "item",
  "recordId": "6a916f9bfe402e2e5c5e9264",
  "itemId": "6a916f9bfe402e2e5c5e9264",
  "title": "PC ENGLISH MUFFINS ORIGINAL",
  "price": 1.62,
  "originalPrice": 3.25,
  "discountPercent": 50.2,
  "currency": "CAD",
  "quantityAvailable": 7,
  "bestBefore": "2026-08-30T00:00:00+00:00",
  "department": "Bakery",
  "imageUrl": "https://img.flashfood.com/products/...",
  "listedAt": "2026-08-28T11:23:07.380Z",
  "isSnapEligible": false,
  "storeId": "629cec56061cc242985326fd",
  "storeName": "Tara's NF Windsor Wyandotte",
  "banner": "Nofrills",
  "street": "3975 Wyandotte St. E., Windsor, Ontario",
  "city": "Windsor",
  "stateCode": "ON",
  "countryCode": "CA",
  "latitude": 42.3242669,
  "longitude": -82.9881846,
  "raw": { "full upstream item object" },
  "changeType": "NEW",
  "changedFields": [],
  "firstSeenAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "lastSeenAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Plan Requirement and Terms Note

The actor uses the Apify proxy with automatic exit rotation; run it on any
plan that includes proxy access. The source is a free consumer app: the
actor reads the same catalogue the app reads, and automated reading may sit
outside the source's terms of use, so keep volumes reasonable and respect
the source's terms.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Search finds stores and their discounted food around one or more locations. Store mode reads one or more stores by id or link.

## `locations` (type: `array`):

Where to search: one entry per location. A city or place name (Detroit, Toronto, M4C 1A5), or exact coordinates as lat,lng (42.3314,-83.0458). Names are resolved automatically. The source covers the US and Canada.

## `radiusKm` (type: `integer`):

Search mode: how far from each point to look, 1 to 160 km.

## `storeInputs` (type: `array`):

Store mode: store ids, or any link carrying one. Multi-value supported.

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Alias for Store links or ids, accepted under the name other Apify actors use for URL mode. Each entry is a store id or a link carrying one; entries are read in order.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many records (0 = no limit; the run then stops when stores or items run out).

## `includeStores` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default: the dataset then carries the discounted food items only. Turn on to also emit one record per store (name, banner, address, hours, pickup instructions).

## `countryHint` (type: `string`):

Optional. Fill the currency field of item records with CAD or USD for stores that do not state a country. Leave empty to derive the currency from each store's country automatically.

## `resumeFromRunId` (type: `string`):

Paste a previous run ID or dataset ID to continue a large pull without returning items already collected there.

## `incrementalMode` (type: `boolean`):

Turn this on for daily or recurring monitoring. The first run returns every matching record as NEW. Later runs normally return only NEW, UPDATED and REAPPEARED records. Turn on Emit unchanged or Emit expired only when you also want those rows returned (and billed). State is kept separately for each search, filter and lookup setup; use State key to name or deliberately share a monitoring campaign.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Optional. Name this monitoring campaign to keep its state stable, or deliberately share state across differently configured runs. Leave empty to let the actor derive a key automatically from the search and filter settings.

## `emitUnchanged` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default. Turn on to also return records that have not changed since the last run, marked UNCHANGED. This returns, and bills, extra rows you already have.

## `emitExpired` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default. Turn on to also return records that were present in a previous run but are no longer found, marked EXPIRED. Only produced once a run has fully scanned the tracked search.

## `mcpConnectors` (type: `array`):

Optionally send results into the apps you already use, via Model Context Protocol (MCP) connectors. Authorize one under Apify, Settings, API & Integrations, then select it here. Notion gets a rich page-per-item export; other connectors get a best-effort write or digest. Leave empty to skip; never changes the dataset output.

## `notionParentPageUrl` (type: `string`):

URL or id of the Notion page under which item pages are created. Required to enable the Notion export; ignored by other connectors.

## `maxNotifyListings` (type: `integer`):

Cap on items written to each connector per run. Does not affect the dataset.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy settings. Works on every proxy plan; the source is served through connection pools with automatic exit rotation.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "locations": [
    "Detroit, Michigan"
  ],
  "radiusKm": 40,
  "storeInputs": [
    "629cec56061cc242985326fd"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "includeStores": false,
  "incrementalMode": false,
  "emitUnchanged": false,
  "emitExpired": false,
  "maxNotifyListings": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "locations": [
        "Detroit, Michigan"
    ],
    "radiusKm": 40,
    "storeInputs": [
        "629cec56061cc242985326fd"
    ],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "includeStores": false,
    "incrementalMode": false,
    "emitUnchanged": false,
    "emitExpired": false,
    "maxNotifyListings": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "locations": ["Detroit, Michigan"],
    "radiusKm": 40,
    "storeInputs": ["629cec56061cc242985326fd"],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "includeStores": False,
    "incrementalMode": False,
    "emitUnchanged": False,
    "emitExpired": False,
    "maxNotifyListings": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "search",
  "locations": [
    "Detroit, Michigan"
  ],
  "radiusKm": 40,
  "storeInputs": [
    "629cec56061cc242985326fd"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "includeStores": false,
  "incrementalMode": false,
  "emitUnchanged": false,
  "emitExpired": false,
  "maxNotifyListings": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,abotapi/flashfood-grocery-deals-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/QAGDFflAuvexD0QpK/builds/gYjRi6PUlnQRCtB8g/openapi.json