continued investments in ecommerce and technology . the increase in operating expenses as a percentage of net sales for fiscal 2017 was partially offset by the impact of store closures in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 . membership and other income was relatively flat for fiscal 2018 and increased $ 1.0 billion a0for fiscal 2017 , when compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year . while fiscal 2018 included a $ 387 million gain from the sale of suburbia , a $ 47 million gain from a land sale , higher recycling income from our sustainability efforts and higher membership income from increased plus member penetration at sam's club , these gains were less than gains recognized in fiscal 2017 . fiscal 2017 included a $ 535 million gain from the sale of our yihaodian business and a $ 194 million gain from the sale of shopping malls in chile . for fiscal 2018 , loss on extinguishment of debt was a0$ 3.1 billion , due to the early extinguishment of long-term debt which allowed us to retire higher rate debt to reduce interest expense in future periods . our effective income tax rate was 30.4% ( 30.4 % ) for fiscal 2018 and 30.3% ( 30.3 % ) for both fiscal 2017 and 2016 . although relatively consistent year-over-year , our effective income tax rate may fluctuate from period to period as a result of factors including changes in our assessment of certain tax contingencies , valuation allowances , changes in tax laws , outcomes of administrative audits , the impact of discrete items and the mix of earnings among our u.s . operations and international operations . the reconciliation from the u.s . statutory rate to the effective income tax rates for fiscal 2018 , 2017 and 2016 is presented in note 9 in the "notes to consolidated financial statements" and describes the impact of the enactment of the tax cuts and jobs act of 2017 ( the "tax act" ) to the fiscal 2018 effective income tax rate . as a result of the factors discussed above , we reported $ 10.5 billion and $ 14.3 billion of consolidated net income for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively , which represents a decrease of $ 3.8 billion and $ 0.8 billion for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively , when compared to the previous fiscal year . diluted net income per common share attributable to walmart ( "eps" ) was $ 3.28 and $ 4.38 for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively . walmart u.s . segment .
what was the percentage change in net sales from 2017 to 2018
net sales for the walmart u.s . segment increased $ 10.6 billion or 3.5% ( 3.5 % ) and $ 9.5 billion or 3.2% ( 3.2 % ) for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively , when compared to the previous fiscal year . the increases in net sales were primarily due to increases in comparable store sales of 2.1% ( 2.1 % ) and 1.6% ( 1.6 % ) for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively , and year-over-year growth in retail square feet of 0.7% ( 0.7 % ) and 1.4% ( 1.4 % ) for fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively . additionally , for fiscal 2018 , sales generated from ecommerce acquisitions further contributed to the year-over-year increase . gross profit rate decreased 24 basis points for fiscal 2018 and increased 24 basis points for fiscal 2017 , when compared to the previous fiscal year . for fiscal 2018 , the decrease was primarily due to strategic price investments and the mix impact from ecommerce . partially offsetting the negative factors for fiscal 2018 was the positive impact of savings from procuring merchandise . for fiscal 2017 , the increase in gross profit rate was primarily due to improved margin in food and consumables , including the impact of savings in procuring merchandise and lower transportation expense from lower fuel costs . operating expenses as a percentage of segment net sales was relatively flat for fiscal 2018 and increased 101 basis points for fiscal 2017 , when compared to the previous fiscal year . fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017 included charges related to discontinued real estate projects of $ 244 million and $ 249 million , respectively . for fiscal 2017 , the increase was primarily driven by an increase in wage expense due to the investment in the associate wage structure ; the charge related to discontinued real estate projects ; and investments in digital retail and technology . the increase in operating expenses as a percentage of segment net sales for fiscal 2017 was partially offset by the impact of store closures in fiscal 2016 . as a result of the factors discussed above , segment operating income increased $ 124 million for fiscal 2018 and decreased $ 1.3 billion for fiscal 2017 , respectively. .