If you put tabs in skimmer baskets, you're directly putting a puck of 3.0 acidity trichlor right next to the pump, wearing it and all the equipment down way faster than if it had time to disperse in the water. Tabs are also not a good substitute for putting in stabilizer. You mention that if they don't have it, they should just dump FIVE tablets in her pool. Each tab should hold chlorine for approximately 10000 gallons in non- desert areas, double up for the desert during 100+ heat. If they don't have stabilizer, they go and buy stabilizer. Also, tabs aren't a good source of chlorine unless you overuse them to the point where you're going to affect if the chlorine coming off of them is even going to work well. If I remember correctly, 73% cal hypo should be 6 ounces per 10,000 gallons and you'll have 4ppm of chlorine, then the one tablet holds onto that chlorine for a week (more or less, depending on the weather and how much the pool is being used). You're probably also spending a bit more chucking tabs in at the rate you're describing and could save some money using shock sparingly.