answers.txt

1. The state of the MVP currently is not in a usable state. This is because there is 
currently no frontend. However, most of the backend is done. To get the frontend to 
work, about 8 hours is needed to create the UI to create customers and enable them 
to create products and orders. 

2. Even though users and products change, all orders are saved to the database and 
can be accessed with admin permissions. Discounts, products, and buyers (users) are 
all stored in the Orders table.

3. A shopping cart is great for keeping track of multiple items being bought. As 
As the MVP is only allowing fo one item to be bought at a time, the shopping cart 
should be left fror phase 2 or a later phase.

4. Phase 2 was partially done. Even though tests pass, the features are basic. For these
features to be fleshed out, about 24 hours is needed for both frontend and backend. 
Turnaround date should be 6-7 business days from now.

5. I would recommend using Stripe. Stripe is a platform that allows developers to build 
e-commerce solutions faster and allows all users to track revenue and do things that 
is expected of an e-commerce platform. It's trusted by most developers around the 
world and is highly recommended.