private UserController() {
        //todo: ideally read this from the customers xml file that has existing users
        ArrayList<Customer> allCusts = XMLCRead.getCustomers();
        customers = new Hashtable<Integer, Customer>();
        int maxcustCount = 0;
        if(allCusts.size() > 0){
            for (Customer c : allCusts) {
                if (c.getID() > maxcustCount) {
                    maxcustCount = c.getID();
                }
                customers.put(c.getID(), c);
            }
        }
        custCount = maxcustCount;
    }